Distribution of Karlodinium veneficum in the coastal region of Xiangshan Bay in the East China Sea, as detected by a real-time quantitative PCR assay of ribosomal ITS sequence

Athecate dinoflagellate Karlodinium veneficum is a universal toxic species possessing karlotoxins recognized especially as ichthyotoxic as well as cytotoxic and hemolytic. Blooms of K. veneficum, both single-species or accompanied with other species, occurred more frequently worldwide in recent years, including the coastal region of China. Normally, K. veneficum present in relatively low abundance in phytoplankton communities in estuary regions....