Desmoschisis is asexual reproduction in
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 ...
s which the parent cell divides to produce two
daughter cells, each daughter retaining half the parent
theca, at least temporarily. During desmoschisis, the theca undergoes fission along a predetermined suture between thecal plates. The fission suture is oblique, usually from the top left to the bottom right (as in oblique binary fission). In terms of asexual division of motile cells, desmoschisis is
generally the case in gonyaulacaleans whereas eleutheroschisis is generally the case in peridinialeans.
[FENSOME R.A., TAYLOR F.J.R., NORRIS G., SARJEANT W.A.S., WHARTON D.I. & WILLIAMS G.L. 1993. A classification of living and fossil dinoflagellates. American Museum of Natural History, Micropaleontology, Special Publication 7: 1-351.]
References
Dinoflagellate biology
Asexual reproduction
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