''Ceratium furca'' is a species of marine
dinoflagellates.
Description
This species has a straight body which is 70-200 µm long and 30-50 µm wide, with the
epitheca
''Epitheca'' is a genus of dragonflies in the family Corduliidae
The Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with area ...
gradually tapering into an anterior horn. ''C. furca'' has long spines, and is an "armoured" species with a
theca
In biology, a theca (plural thecae) is a sheath or a covering.
Botany
In botany, the theca is related to plant's flower anatomy. The theca of an angiosperm consists of a pair of microsporangia that are adjacent to each other and share a comm ...
of thick
cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell w ...
plates. The cells are nearly flat, with the ventral side concave and the dorsal side being convex.
Distribution
''Ceratium furca'' is found worldwide.
Subspecies
*''Ceratium furca eugrammum''
*''Ceratium furca furca''
References
Further reading
Dodge, J. D. 1982. Marine Dinoflagellates of the British Isles. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. 303 pp.
Hansen, G. & Larsen, J. 1992. Dinoflagellater i danske farvande. In: Thomsen, H. A. (ed.) Plankton i de indre danske farvande. Havforskning fra Miljøstyrelsen, Copenhagen, p. 45-155.
Steidinger, K. A. & Tangen, K. 1996. Dinoflagellates. In: Tomas, C. R. (ed.) Identifying marine diatoms and dinoflagellates. Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, p. 387-584.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2562687
Species described in 1859
Gonyaulacales