''Apodinium floodi'' is an ectoparasitic

dinoflagellate The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...

found in the vicinity of northwest

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, USA. Its host is the sea squirt '' Oikopleura labradoriensis''. Trophozoites of ''A. floodi'' are encased by membrane and divisions of young trophozoites produce a single file of sporogenic cells. Divisions occur perpendicular to this axis, and eventually the spores are produced. ''A. floodi'' attaches to its host with a

peduncle Peduncle may refer to: *Peduncle (botany), a stalk supporting an inflorescence, which is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed *Peduncle (anatomy), a stem, through which a mass of tissue is attached to a body **Peduncle (art ...

, which it penetrates into the larvacean

tunicate A tunicate is a marine invertebrate animal, a member of the subphylum Tunicata (). It is part of the Chordata, a phylum which includes all animals with dorsal nerve cords and notochords (including vertebrates). The subphylum was at one time ca ...

's musculature, reaching the

notochord In anatomy, the notochord is a flexible rod which is similar in structure to the stiffer cartilage. If a species has a notochord at any stage of its life cycle (along with 4 other features), it is, by definition, a chordate. The notochord consis ...

. Two principle rhizoids penetrate the outer region of the notochord, presumably to absorb nutrients from ''O. labradoriensis'' blood.McLean, N. and C. Galt. 1990. ''Apodinium floodi'' n.sp., a dinoflagellate (Dinoflagellata: Apodinidae) ectoparasitic on ''Oikopleura labradoriensis'' (Urochordata: Larvacea). ''Diseases of Aquatic Organisms ''9: 213-219.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65089380 Dinoflagellates Geography of Washington (state)