COMPARISON OF TOXINS IN THREE ISOLATES OF GONYAULAX TAMARENSIS (DINOPHYCEAE)1

ABSTRACTToxicity levels and profiles of three isolates of Gonyaulax tamarensis Lebour grown under the same conditions were compared. One isolate was collected from Ipswich, Massachusetts, during the massive red tide of 1972 along the New England coast. The other two isolates were obtained from Perch Pond (Falmouth, Massachusetts) and Mill Pond (Orleans, Massachusetts) located in the southwest and south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, respectively. All the three cultures produced toxins with variation in their toxicity levels. Toxin contents were highest in the Ipswich isolate, followed in an order by Mill Pond and Perch Pond cultures. Morphological similarity existed between Ipswich and Mill Pond cells, whereas the Perch Pond cells possessed an additional ventral pore on the l' epithecal plate.