Noctilucascintillans, also known as sea sparkle, is a single-celled marine protist that exhibits bioluminescence. It is found worldwide in coastal oceans and estuaries. While not toxic to humans directly, large blooms of N. scintillans can accumulate ammonia from its phytoplankton food source which can contaminate and poison seafood, potentially causing illnesses in humans. Certified shellfish farms are required to test for toxic algal blooms like N. scintillans to prevent shellfish poisoning.

1. Noctilucascintillans
Narisa Kanchana
YimingGuo
BIO 211L
11/1/2012

2. Noctilucascintillans

3. WHAT IS N. SCINTILLANS?
• AKA “Sea Sparkle” or “red tides”
• Noctiluca means “shining lantern”
• Exhibits bioluminescence (they
glow!)
• Caused by a luciferin-
luciferase system located in
their spherical organelles in
the cytoplasm
• Can produce sexually and
asexually
• Main food source is phytoplankton
• High concentrations of
plankton create “blooms”
• Non-toxic to humans

4. WHAT IS N. SCINTILLANS? (CONT.)
• Single-celled protist
• Free-living non-parasitic marine-dwelling
species of dinoflagellate
• Spherical body shape
• Contains ventral groove that contains 2
flagellum (one visible, one insignificant), a
tooth, and striations
• Body forms a balloon gas bag that allows
for floatation
• Appear red in the day time (“red tides”)
• Appear glowing blue at night at times of
physical stress on organism (crashing
tides, touching water, surfboard cutting
through water)

5. WHERE CAN N. SCINTILLANSBE FOUND?
• Throughout the entire
world
• Often found along the
coastlines of oceans,
estuaries, and shallow
areas of the continental
shelf
• Oceans in areas that
receive plenty of light
which promotes growth
of phytoplankton, the
majority of N. scintillans’
diet

6. DANGER OF N. SCINTILLANS
• It has been discovered that N.
scintillansaccumulate toxic levels of
ammonia from their prey which has been
linked to massive fish and marine
invertebrate deaths
• Too much toxic bloom occurs off the east
and west coasts of India due to agricultural
runoff where many fisheries have been
affected
• These algal blooms can harm fish, birds, and
mammals by moving the toxic ammonia up
the food chains. Although N. scintillansdoes
not affect us when we touch it, we become
affected when we eat contaminated seafood.

7. TOXICITY TO HUMANS
• N. scintillansis typically non-pathogenic with physical contact
• However, the ammonia they excrete can contaminate sea animals typically
in our diets
• Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP): food
borne intoxication from infected shellfish
(mussels, scallops, crabs, etc)
• Symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomach
cramps, and diarrhea; in severe cases:
dizziness, headache, seizures, short
term-memory, and coma
• Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP): caused by
ciguatoxin which are toxins produced by
dinoflagellates; found in food from waters of
Hawaii, Gulf of Mexico, and Peurto Rico
• Symptoms: vomiting, stomach pain,
diarrhea, muscular aches, anxiety, and
numbing of mouth and fingers; in
severe cases: paralysis and death

8. TOXICITY TO HUMANS (CONT.)
• Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP):
found in shellfish from the west
coast, extending from Alaska to
California, waters of Hawaii, and
the New England States
• Numbness, tingling, fever,
rashes and in severe cases
respiratory arrest
• When certified shellfish
growers notice the presence of
red tides, they test for toxicity
in the water, especially PSP

9. PREVENTION OF ASP AND CFP
• Don’t let this new information keep you from consuming sea food.
• Restaurants and stories that sell and purchase shellfish must use certified
growers as a source. Certified growers are required to test their products
for toxic levels.

10. REFERENCES
• "Identifying Harmful Marine Dinoflagellates - NoctilucaScintillans /
Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution." Identifying Harmful Marine Dinoflagellates - NoctilucaScintillans
/ Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Institution. Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
<http://botany.si.edu/references/dinoflag/Taxa/Nscintillans.htm>.
• "NoctilucaScintillans.” Oceana. Web. 25 Oct 2012.
<http://oceana.org/en/explore/marine-wildlife/noctiluca-scintillans>.
• Stewart, Robert. "Harmful Algal Blooms.”OceanWorld : Department of
Oceanography, Texas A&M University, 2005. Web. 25 Oct 2012.
<http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/oceanography-
book/harmfulagalblooms.htm>.
• Van Egmond, Wim. "Noctiluca: Sparkle of the Sea. “ Microscopy-UK.
Web. 25 Oct 2012. <http://www.microscopy-
uk.org.uk/mag/art98/nocti.html>.