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Islandinium brevispinosum
Zonneveld, K.A.F. and Pospelova V. (2015). A determination key for modern dinoflagellate cysts. Palynology 39 (3), 387- 409.
lateral view
photographs: Vera Pospelova
dimensions
lateral view
lateral view
Field characteristics
Islandinium brevispinosum Pospelova and Head 2002
Characteristics:
Small spherical to subspherical spiny pale brown cysts with irregular distributed small solid processes. Basis of the processes is circular. Spines are of uniform length. Apical archeopyle by the loss of three plates.
Dimensions: Cyst body: 18 - 25 μm; length of processes: 0.3 - 3.5 μm
Motile affinity: Protoperidinium haizhouense (Mertens et al., 2013, pers. comm. 2013)
Stratigraphic range: recent
Comparison with other species:
This species can be easily distinguished from other small Echinidinium and Islandinium species by having completely solid spinules with a sphaerical basis. It resembles Echinidinium transparantum and Echinidinium zonneveldii in having solid processes. The prosesses of the latter ones have subspherical to rectangular bases.
I. brevispinosum resembles closely Echinidinium delicatum but has much slender and more numerous solid processes that are irregularly distributed, whereas E. delicatum has regular distributed small hollow processes. I. brevispinosum has an apical archeopyle whereas the archeopyle of E. delicatum is a split.
Characteristics:
Small spherical to subspherical spiny pale brown cysts with irregular distributed small solid processes. Basis of the processes is circular. Spines are of uniform length. Apical archeopyle by the loss of three plates.
Dimensions: Cyst body: 18 - 25 μm; length of processes: 0.3 - 3.5 μm
Motile affinity: Protoperidinium haizhouense (Mertens et al., 2013, pers. comm. 2013)
Stratigraphic range: recent
Comparison with other species:
This species can be easily distinguished from other small Echinidinium and Islandinium species by having completely solid spinules with a sphaerical basis. It resembles Echinidinium transparantum and Echinidinium zonneveldii in having solid processes. The prosesses of the latter ones have subspherical to rectangular bases.
I. brevispinosum resembles closely Echinidinium delicatum but has much slender and more numerous solid processes that are irregularly distributed, whereas E. delicatum has regular distributed small hollow processes. I. brevispinosum has an apical archeopyle whereas the archeopyle of E. delicatum is a split.