VALENTINA GIUSSANI

In the last decade, the occurrence of harmful dinoflagellate blooms of the genus Ostreopsis has increased both in frequency and in geographic distribution with adverse impacts on public health and the economy. Ostreopsis species are producers of palytoxin-like toxins (putative palytoxin and ovatoxins) which are among the most potent natural...

The new benthic toxic dinoflagellate, Ostreopsis fattorussoi sp. nov., is described from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Lebanon and Cyprus coasts, and is supported by morphological and molecular data. The plate formula, Po, 30 , 7′′, 6c, 7s, 5′′′, 20 0 0 0 , is typical for the Ostreopsis genus. It differs from all other Ostreopsis species in...

The frequency and geographic extension of microalgae and gelatinous zooplankton blooms seem to have been increasing worldwide over recent decades. In particular, the harmful dinoflagellate Ostreopsis cf. ovata and the Schyphozoan jellyfish Aurelia sp. are two of the most frequent and long lasting species forming blooms in the Mediterranean Sea....