Dinoflagellates in the genus Gambierdiscus are known to produce potent neurotoxins known as ciguatoxins. These toxins vector through the food web and can reach sufficiently high levels to cause ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP). In many regions of the Caribbean, little is known about the occurrence of CFP-causing species or the incidence of CFP, despite its apparent regional increase over the last few decades. Given the intraspecific variability in content and potencies of these toxins among Gambierdiscus species, the precise identification of local species of this genus is crucial. In this study we confirm the presence of the epibenthic dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus caribaeus in the Colombian continental Caribbean. Cells were collected in seagrass beds of Thalassia testudinum in Bonito Gordo, a site located on the western side of Bahía Concha, Tayrona National Natural Park, near the city of Santa Marta, Colombia. Subsequently, a single strain of Gambierdiscus could be established for further identification. Morphological (light and scanning electron microscopy), and molecular results (partial LSU and ITS rDNA sequencing) were consistent with the original description of G. caribaeus, as well as with the morphological characteristics shown by other authors in organisms obtained near the sampling area.

中文翻译：

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Gambierdiscus caribaeus（Dinophyceae）的形态和分子特征，并证实其存在于哥伦比亚加勒比海Tayrona国家自然公园中

已知冈比亚鞭毛虫属中的鞭毛藻会产生有效的神经毒素，称为西瓜毒素。这些毒素通过食物网传播，并且可以达到足够高的水平，从而引起雪茄鱼中毒（CFP）。在加勒比许多地区，尽管过去几十年来其明显增加，但对引起CFP的物种的发生或CFP的发生知之甚少。考虑到甘比氏菌属物种中这些毒素的含量和效力在种内存在差异，因此准确鉴定该属的本地物种至关重要。在这项研究中，我们确认了哥伦比亚大陆加勒比海地区存在表皮鞭毛鞭毛藻Gambierdiscus caribaeus。在Bonito Gordo（位于巴伊亚孔查（BahíaConcha）西侧的站点）的地中海藻海藻床中收集了细胞 泰罗纳国家自然公园，在市圣玛尔塔附近，哥伦比亚。随后，可以建立一个单一的甘比氏双歧杆菌菌株以进一步鉴定。形态学（光镜和扫描电镜）和分子结果（部分LSU和ITS rDNA测序）与加勒比假单胞菌的原始描述一致，并且与其他作者在采样区域附近获得的生物中显示的形态特征一致。