Karenia Mikimotoi

Karenia Mikimotoi Latest News

A massive outbreak of toxic algae due to karenia mikimotoi off South Australia, which has devastated hundreds of species of marine life and disrupted local tourism and fishing.

About Karenia Mikimotoi

• It is one of the most common red-tide dinoflagellates proliferating in the eastern North Atlantic and around Japan.
• It releases hemolytic toxins and ichthyo toxins, causing massive negative impacts on fishery and marine ecological environment.
• There have not been confirmed reports of direct impacts to human health by Karenia mikimotoi, but blooms of this species can cause large-scale mortality events of marine fauna such as shellfish, echinoderms, crustaceans, and fish. 
• Anoxic conditions can also occur when K. mikimotoi cells die in large numbers and subsequent breakdown by bacteria deplete oxygen in the surrounding waters. 
• It is less toxic but more globally widespread with blooms reported in Ireland, Norway, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, South Africa, Alaska, Texas, and the east coast of the U.S. 

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Key Features of Karenia Mikimotoi

• It is a photosynthetic species with several oval to round yellow-brown chloroplasts, each with a pyrenoid. The large ellipsoidal nucleus is located in the left hypothecal lobe.
• It can adapt to various light, temperature, salinity, and nutrient conditions.

Source: DD News