| ID | Algal_Group | Species | Image | Description | Region | IRL_Site | Suwannee_Site | occurence_SUW | occurence_IRL | Good_or_Bad | Good_Comment | Effects on Clams? | What Can a Clam Farmer Do? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | Cryptophytes (Cryptophyta) | Cryptomonas spp. | Click to View | asymmetrical, oval-shaped cells; 15-40 µm; two flagella | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 100 | 99 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | very common throughout Florida, but seldom found as major bloom-former | |
| 002 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | Lyngbya spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells; can form filamentous colonies; filaments usually wider than 6 µm | Suwannee Sound | PI;SR | 1 | 0 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Most planktonic forms are not harmful; however, some benthic forms, which have been found in the water column, have been associated with toxins (e.g., Lyngbya majuscula). | Normally found in freshwater, but appears in brackish/coastal waters after heavy rainfall and freshwater discharge. | |
| 003 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | Merismopedia spp. | Click to View | spherical cells; 1-7 µm in diameter; form flat rectangular colonies | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | SR | 0 | 3 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | Normally found in freshwater, but appears in brackish/coastal waters after heavy rainfall and freshwater discharge. | |
| 004 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | Microcystis spp. | Click to View | spherical cells; 1-6 µm in diameter; form irregularly shaped colonies | Suwannee Sound | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 26 | 0 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Some of these species have been associated with the production of hepatotoxin, which can negatively affect the digestive system of animals. Toxicity of local strains has not been confirmed. | Normally found in freshwater, but appears in brackish/coastal waters after heavy rainfall and freshwater discharge. Extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column. | |
| 005 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | Oscillatoria spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 2-15 µm diameter; can form filamentous colonies | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | SR | 0 | 5 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | Normally found in freshwater, but appears in brackish/coastal waters after heavy rainfall and freshwater discharge. | |
| 006 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | spherical picoplankton | Click to View | spherical cells; < 3 µm in diameter | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 100 | 97 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Can be too small to be captured by clam gills. | Very often numerically the most abundant algae. May not be as important in terms of biomass compared to diatoms or dinoflagellates, but can form major blooms. |
| 007 | Cyanobacteria or Blue-Green Algae (Cyanophyta) | Synechococcus spp. | Click to View | oval-shaped cells; 1-3 µm wide, 5-10 µm long | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 27 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Some species in this genus have been shown to produce amphidiniols, compounds with hemolytic (lyse red blood cells) properties, but reports from the natural environment are rare. | Very often numerically the most abundant algae. May not be as important in terms of biomass compared to diatoms or dinoflagellates, but can form major blooms. | |
| 008 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Amphiprora cf. | Click to View | oblong shape with indent in central portion of cell, cells can appear twisted; 25-150 µm long | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 36 | 9 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 009 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Bellerochea horologicalis | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 30-100 µm long, 22-35 µm wide; form ribbon-like chains | Suwannee Sound | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 23 | 0 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | |||
| 010 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Cerataulina pelagica | Click to View | cylindrical cells with short spines at terminal ends; 10-40 µm diameter; can form chains | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 38 | 9 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 011 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Chaetoceros spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells (appear rectangular); 4-84 µm wide; single or chains, spines (setae) at corners | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 44 | 34 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Some species have long silica spines that can damage bivalve gills. | resting spores common; major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring |
| 012 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Dactyliosolen fragilissimus | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 12-20 µm diameter; can form chains connected by small central process | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 17 | 16 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 013 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Leptocylindrus danicus | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 5-16 µm diameter; forms chains, multiple chloroplasts | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 34 | 7 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 014 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Navicula spp. | Click to View | linear, leaf-shaped, oblong cells, numerous morphological variations within genus; 15-80 µm long, 4-10 µm wide | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 45 | 28 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 015 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Nitzschia spp. | Click to View | spindle-shaped or rectangular cells, can have flexible, long tapering ends, numerous morphological variations within genus; 5-100 µm long, 5-20 µm wide | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 76 | 84 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Some species in this genus have been shown to produce amphidiniols, compounds with hemolytic (lyse red blood cells) properties, but reports from the natural environment are rare. | |
| 016 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Odontella spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 10-110 µm wide; small horns at each pole, joined in straight or zig-zag chains, some species solitary | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 68 | 13 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 017 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Paralia sulcata | Click to View | cylindrical cells; generally 25-30 µm diameter; joined in chains | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 74 | 36 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 018 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Pseudo-nitzschia spp. | Click to View | rectangular cells, can have pointed ends; >25-100 µm long; joined in stepped colonies of overlapping cell ends | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 49 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | Some species have been associated with production of domoic acid, a neurotoxin responsible for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). Toxicity of local strains has not been confirmed. | ||
| 019 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Rhizosolenia setigera | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 4-20 µm diameter; singular or joined in chains ending in needle-like structures | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 73 | 23 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 020 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Skeletonema spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells; 2-21 µm diameter; joined in chains by delicate external threadlike processes | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 51 | 47 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring; extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column | |
| 021 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Thalassionema nitzschioides | Click to View | rectangular cells; 10-110 µm long, 2-8 µm wide; single or joined into zig-zag or star-shaped colonies | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 41 | 28 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in fall and spring | |
| 022 | Diatoms (Bacillariophyta) | Thalassiosira spp. | Click to View | cylindrical cells; generally 7-20 µm diameter; singular or joined in chains by threads | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 73 | 17 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | resting spores known for some species | |
| 023 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Akashiwo sanguinea | Click to View | has many different forms, one rounded end and one end with two lobes; 40-80 µm long; central nucleus; one transverse flagellum and one longitudinal flagellum | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 23 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in warm months; extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column | ||
| 024 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Amphidinium operculatum | Click to View | oblong cells; < 20 µm; one transverse flagellum and one longitudinal flagellum | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 5 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been shown to produce amphidiniols, compounds with hemolytic (lyse red blood cells) properties, but reports from the natural environment are rare. | ||
| 025 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Ceratium hircus | Click to View | pentagonal cells with three long horns, one on top portion and two on bottom; 35-70 µm long, 30-45 µm wide at girdle | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 53 | 59 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | Extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column. | |
| 026 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Dinophysis caudata | Click to View | oblong cells; approximately 70 µm long; well-developed wing-like structure (sulcal list) on side | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 29 | 41 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been associated with production of okadaic acid, the toxin implicated in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Although the species has been observed in the Suwannee Estuary and Indian River Lagoon, toxicity of local strains has not been confirmed. | |
| 027 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Gonyaulax polygramma | Click to View | pear-shaped cells with horn on top portion; 40-60 µm long, 25-40 µm wide; girdle (cingulum) descends 1.5 x width | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | HB | 1 | 20 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | Extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column. | |
| 028 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Gonyaulax spinifera | Click to View | rounded cells; 21-32 µm diameter; girdle (cingulum) descends approximately 2 x width | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 18 | 5 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | Extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column. | |
| 029 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Gyrodinium estuariale | Click to View | rounded cells; < 20 µm; displaced central girdle | Suwannee Sound | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 48 | 0 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | |||
| 030 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Gyrodinium spirale | Click to View | spindle-shaped cells; 40-200 µm long; displaced central girdle | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 43 | 31 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 031 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Karenia brevis | Click to View | rounded cells with elevated central portion; 18−45 μm; central girdle; formerly known as Gymnodinium breve | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 6 | 2 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been associated with production of brevetoxin, a neurotoxin responsible for neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP). | major bloom-former; blooms can occur any time of year, but most common in warm months; K. brevis blooms do not survive <24 ppt salinity; blooms start offshore on the midshelf and are associated with physical features such as currents and upwelling areas; K. brevis is capable of existing in low-nutrient waters because it is efficient in processing nutrients |
| 032 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Katodinium rotundatum | Click to View | arrowhead-shaped cell; < 20 µm | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 34 | 6 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 033 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Pheopolykrikos hartmannii | Click to View | barrel-shaped cells; > 50 µm long | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 12 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | |||
| 034 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Prorocentrum micans | Click to View | heart-shaped cells; 35-70 µm long, 20-50 µm wide | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 63 | 58 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been associated with production of okadaic acid, the toxin implicated in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP). Toxicity of local strains has not been confirmed. | Extreme bloom events can be associated with reduced oxygen levels in the water column. |
| 035 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Prorocentrum minimum | Click to View | triangular-shaped cells; < 20 µm | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 33 | 18 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been associated with shellfish mortalities in other parts of the world (i.e., Chesapeake Bay), but the exact mode of toxicity is unclear. | |
| 036 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Pyrodinium bahamense var. bahamense |
1. Click to View 2. Click to View |
spherical cells; average 43 µm diameter; have a wing-like structure (list) that encircles the entire diameter, found individually or in pairs | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 17 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has been associated with production of saxitoxin, a suite of toxins responsible for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP). The toxin has been observed in the tissues of some fish species in Florida. However, unlike the Pacific form of Pyrodinium bahamense (i.e., var. compressum), which has been implicated in the deaths of numerous people via the consumption of tainted seafood, no human incidents of severe saxitoxin exposure have been documented in Florida. | major bloom-former; blooms occur from April - November; a truly tropical species; the IRL is the northern-most region in North America where major blooms of P. bahamense var. bahamense have been observed | |
| 037 | Dinoflagellates (Dinophyta) | Scrippsiella spp. | Click to View | rounded, pear-shaped cells; 16-36 µm long, 20-23 µm wide | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR | 21 | 8 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 038 | Euglena (Euglenophyta) | Euglena spp. | Click to View | oblong cells; 45-70 µm; one or two flagella; can have many chloroplasts | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 6 | 10 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | grows well in organically enriched waters | |
| 039 | Euglena (Euglenophyta) | Eutreptia spp. | Click to View | oblong cells; 20-120 µm; two flagella; can have many chloroplasts | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 24 | 9 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | grows well in organically enriched waters | |
| 040 | Green Algae (Chlorophyta) | small spherical green algae | Click to View | spherical or oval-shaped cells; 5 µm in diameter; solitary or clustered (e.g., Chlorella) | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;HB;SR | 2 | 4 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 041 | Green Algae (Chlorophyta) | Scenedesmus spp. |
1. Click to View 2. Click to View |
oval-shaped or crescent-shaped cells; approximately 3 µm wide, 20 µm long; appear in colonies of 2-32 cells, joined with long axes parallel, can have spines at ends | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | SR | 0 | 3 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 042 | Phytoflagellates (Prasinophyta) | Pyramimonas spp. | Click to View | pyramid-shaped cells; 4-35 µm; four flagella | Indian River and Suwannee Sound | Sebastian | DE;GJ;PI;HB;PR;SR | 98 | 54 | Good | acceptable food item for clams | ||
| 043 | Phytoflagellates (Raphidophyta) | Chattonella subsalsa | Click to View | asymmetrical cells with one pointed end; 30-50 µm long; two flagella | Indian River | Sebastian | 0 | 2 | Good; Bad | acceptable food item for clams | This species has also been associated with production of brevetoxin, a neurotoxin responsible for neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP). Toxicity of local strains has not been confirmed. | grows well in organically enriched waters |