Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 64 - June 2020 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab The IOC Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Microalgae The creation of the IOC Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Microalgae was first discussed 23 years ago at the Fourth Session of the IOC Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algal Blooms in Vigo, Spain, 30 June-2 July 1997. It was decided to establish a Task Team on Algal Taxonomy in order to create an agreed reference list of harmful algal species as well as the correct citation of the author(s), date of valid publication, and a list of synonyms. The focus of the list was to be on toxin producing HAB species. Further suggestions for the list were made during the HAB 2000 Conference in Hobart, Tasmania, February 2000, and the list has subsequently been discussed at the biannual meetings of the IOC Intergovernmental Panel on Harmful Algal Blooms (IOC IPHAB) in Paris. At recent IOC IPHAB meetings it was suggested that information about the list should be presented at regular intervals in Harmful Algae News and at the international HAB conferences. This is currently under consideration. The background to the taxonomic list is given here. The list was created because of the confusion that existed at the time about the proper names for HAB species and also the correct author citations. The years following the creation of the list have not resulted in a general agreement regarding the names to be used for some HAB species (nor for many other plant or animal species), and with the wisdom of hindsight this was probably a somewhat naïve aim. Research on HAB species has proceeded rapidly in many parts of the world, but the use of more and more sophisticated research tools has not always resulted in more clarity. Presently molecular methods are used as a tool for phylogenetic information and for classification. However, this has not led to a universally accepted taxonomy. Some journals have accepted articles in which the evidence presented did not stand up to closer scrutiny. Also, the old problem of splitters and lumpers remains, with little resolution in sight. Splitters prefer to divide taxa into smaller units, from the highest level (class or phylum or even higher) to the lowest (species level or below). Each taxonomic unit therefore contains only closely or very closely related taxa. The number of taxa therefore increases, sometimes drastically, and the picture becomes more complex. Lumpers prefer to work with larger taxonomic units and aim to create a simpler, but still correct system. In fact the term correct is also under debate. Must all taxonomic units be monophyletic or are paraphyletic units sometimes to be preferred? There is no simple answer. Classification is a subjective exercise, and has always been. It is therefore not always easy for the members of the Task Team to decide on correct names. Before going into more specific problems, a brief overview is presented. The list presently contains 178 species. Dinoflagellates are the most numerous with 93 species, more than half the total number of species in the list. The cyanobacteria follow in second place with 37 species and the diatoms rank third, with 29 species. The remaining groups are small and contain less than 10 species: haptophytes (8 species), raphidophyceans (6 species), dictyocho- and pelagophyceans (5 species in total). While the list initially contained only marine species, problems associated with cyanobacteria (bluegreen algae) continue to grow in many parts of the world and it was therefore decided some time ago to also include this group in the list. At the IOC IPHAB meeting in Paris in 2019 more emphasis on cyanobacteria was requested and Catarina Churro from Portugal was suggested as a new thematic editor, a post she subsequently accepted. The list of cyanobacteria can be expected to grow further, how- Content Featured article The IOC Taxonomic Reference List (Øjvind Moestrup) .................. 1 Mass mortalities of Salmon and Chrysochromulina blooms in northern Norway ....... 4 Marine invertebrates and yessotoxins in northern Chile .... 6 Old HABs in new areas Heterocapsa minima in New Zealand . ............................................... Yellow-green tides of Alexandrium taylorii in the Ligurian coast, Italy ........................................... Peridinium quadridentatum in Cochin estuary, SW India . ....... Ciguatera dinoflagellates and seamount reservoirs, SW Indian Ocean .............................. 8 10 11 13 Machine Learning To observe distribution of Noctiluca scintillans, Western English Channel ................................ 14 Validation of toxin determination methods Validation and recognition of a PSP method . .............................. 16 Enhanced methods for HAB culture collections Cawthron Institute Culture Collection of Microalgae................. 17 Cooperation, Networking and Regional meetings 11th EASTHAB/4th Philippine HAB Conference ............................... 18 ICES-IOC Working Group HAB Dynamics 2020 ...................... 20 Postponed HAB events ............... 15 Harmful Algae News An IOC Newsletter on Toxic Algae and Algal Blooms No. 64 - June 2020 www.ioc-unesco.org/hab The IOC Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Microalgae The creation of the IOC Taxonomic Reference List of Harmful Microalgae was first discussed 23 years ago at the Fourth Session of the ever the information presented in publications is not always easy to interpret. Toxic blooms often contain several species and studies on individual species are therefore required to determine the species responsible for the toxin production. In addition, species are sometimes difficult to identify considered this to be identical to the previously described P. mexicanum [9]. This statement makes little sense, and Loeblich et al in fact do not mention P. mexicanum in their article. Faust [8] illustrated material which resembled P. rhathymum using the radical arrangement of some of the trichocys Massive salmon mortalities during a Chrysochromulina leadbeateri bloom in Northern Norway From mid May to mid June 2019, fish farmers along the coast of Nordland and Troms, northern Norway, experienced sudden mortalities of caged salmon [1] (Fig. 1). These mortalities were assumed to be due to a blo Fish kill in numbers [2] 13 000 ton fish 7.5 mill salmon 80 mill EUR 14 companies Fig. 2. Map of Norway showing the area where the Chrysochromulina leadbeateri bloom occurred causing massive fish kills in May-June 2019 References 1. Fiskeridirektoratet 2019. https:// www.fiskeridir.no/Akvakult Mass mortality of marine invertebrates associated with the presence of yessotoxins in northern Chile Fig. 1. Map of the study area showing A) Chilean coast; B) Pabellón de Pica, Tarapacá Region C) Bahía Inglesa, Atacama Region; D) Puerto Aldea, Coquimbo Region During the austral summer of 2019, ma research is needed to determine the mechanism of action and the toxin effects on tissues and cells of the main affected species. Finally, there is a need to establish an educational plan to protect the public and avoid the consumption and commercialization of potentially toxic marine invertebrates. First Report of Heterocapsa minima (Dinophyceae) from Aotearoa/ New Zealand Small planktonic armoured dinoflagellates within the genus Heterocapsa are currently represented by 20 species with some having a world-wide distribution [1-2]. Blooms of some Heterocapsa species have been associated with fi Fig. 2. Maximum likelihood (ML) molecular phylogenetic tree of Heterocapsa minima and H. steinii strains isolated from coastal areas of New Zealand based on the LSU rDNA D1/ D2 sequences (20 sequences, 700 positions). The alignment site corresponded to the 69768 bp site of a sequence from H. steinii Yellow-green tides could become a recurrent event along the Ligurian coast (Italy) Fig. 1. A) Sestri Levante and Baia del Silenzio bay, characterized by shallow water and mixed rocky-sandy seabed containing the macrophyte, Posidonia oceanica (dark grey) and carpet-like matte (light grey) habitat. B First report of a high biomass bloom of Peridinium quadridentatum (F. Stein) Gert Hansen from the tropical Cochin estuary SW coast of India Fig. 1. Map showing the area of P. quadridentatum bloom in Cochin estuary, southwest coast of India Peridinium quadridentatum (F. Stein) Gert Hansen is a cos Table 1. Physico-chemical parameters of P. quadridentatum bloom area in Cochin Estuary Parameters Water Temperature (oC) Salinity (psu) Dissolved Oxygen (ml L-1) Nitrate (μmol L-1) Silicate (μmol L-1) Phosphate (μmol L-1) Chlorophyll a (mg m-3) 28 20 2.01 10.6 23.3 1.3 27.5 higher turbidity, lowe Are mesophotic seamounts reservoirs for potentially toxic dinoflagellates associated with Ciguatera poisoning? A case study from the SW Indian ocean (expédition La Pérouse, 2019) Fig. 1. Location map of La Pérouse seamount off La Réunion. In the western Indian Ocean, a Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CF Using Machine Learning to Observe Abundance Patterns of the Dino flagellate Noctiluca scintillans in the Western English Channel Noctiluca scintillans is a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) species with a wide geographic distribution. It frequently blooms and causes negative impacts on marine ecosystems [1] References 1. Sarma VVSS et al 2019. Mar Pollut Bull 138: 428-436 2. Faust MA & RA Gulledge 2002. Contributions for the US National Herbarium 42: 1-144 3. Graham MD et al 2018. Limnol Oceanogr-Meth 16: 669-679 Author Christian Bamber, The Marine Biological Association, Citadel Hill, Plymouth PL1 2PB International validation and recognition of method for paralytic shellfish toxins in bivalve molluscs Food safety scientists from Cefas (UK) and Cawthron Institute (New Zealand) have led an international study over the past four years to gain international recognition for a new method to quantify pa Aotearoa/New Zealands nationally significant Cawthron Institute Culture Collection of Microalgae (CICCM) The CICCM is critical to international research projects and the 500 isolates of microalgae and cyanobacteria in the collection have been sourced from oceans, lakes and rivers in New Zealand, the The 11th EASTHAB Symposium and 4th Philippine HAB Conference The 11th EASTHAB Symposium and 4th Philippine HAB Conference were held back-to-back from December 11 13, 2019 at the Microtel Hotel, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, the Philippines. The theme was Advances in Harmful Algal Bloom Research, Monito Fig. 1. Participants in the 11th EASTHAB Symposium/4th Philippine HAB Conference Fig. 2. Department of Science and Technology secretary Fortunato dela Peña with the keynote, plenary speakers and local organizing committee leads. Left to right: Dr. Ichiro Imai, representative of the Vice Mayor of Pu The ICES-IOC Working Group on Harmful Algal Bloom Dynamics 2020 Meeting The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) have collaborated closely for 26 years, stimulating research on HAB population dynamics and monit Fig. 2. Shared day between ICES-IOC WGHABD, ICES-IOC WGBOSV and ICES WGITMO ences using molecular methods as well as results from studies in Arctic areas. These studies presented data on HAB and invasive non-native species present in Arctic waters. A USA study focused on the distribution, community Typical benthic habitat with macroalgae and limestone rubble observed at ~ 60m depth on La Pérouse seamount, Indian Ocean (Photo courtesy of L. Ballesta). Eds-in-chief Beatriz Reguera, IEO, Vigo, Spain Eilen Bresnan, Marine Scotland, UK Regional Editors Caribbean: Ernesto Mancera jemancerap@unal.e