The term "dinoflagellate" is a combination of the Greek dinos and the Latin flagellum. Dinos means "whirling" and … See more

In 1753, the first modern dinoflagellates were described by Henry Baker as "Animalcules which cause the Sparkling Light in Sea Water", and named by Otto Friedrich Müller in 1773. The term derives from the Gr… See more

Dinoflagellates are unicellular and possess two dissimilar flagella arising from the ventral cell side (dinokont flagellation). They have a ribbon-like transverse flagellum with multiple waves that beats to the cell's lef… See more

Dinoflagellates are protists and have been classified using both the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN, now renamed as ICN) and the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN). About half … See more

Dinoflagellates are found in all aquatic environments: marine, brackish, and fresh water, including in snow or ice. They are also common in benthic environments and sea ice.
All … See more

Dinoflagellates have a haplontic life cycle, with the possible exception of Noctiluca and its relatives. The life cycle usually involves asexual reproduction by means of mitosis, either through desmoschisis or
The life cyc… See more