Agglomerated loricae of the tintinnids <i>Codonella, Codonellopsis</i> and <i>Dictyocysta</i> from North Atlantic, tropical Pacific and Southern Ocean waters.

ABSTRACT: Some 30 species of planktonic tintinnids agglomerate coccoliths and diatom fragments on to their loricae, which have fascinated scientists for centuries. We here provide semi-quantitative scanning electron microscopic observations on tintinnid lorica agglomerations by the small Southern Ocean Codonellopsis cf. soyai Hada, intermediate sized North Atlantic Codonellopsis pusilla (Cleve) Kofoid and Campbell, and larger Southern Ocean Dictyocysta lepida Ehrenberg and tropical Pacific Codonella galea Haeckel. Smaller tintinnids appeared to non-selectively use ubiquitous Emiliania huxleyi liths, but when absent could shift to ambient diatom fragments, while larger tintinnids preferentially used heavier coccoliths of Calcidiscus, Coccolithus and

SUBMITTER: Hallegraeff GM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12343039 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature