A First Record of Extant Silicoflagellates in Coastal Waters of Nigeria

Abstract

Silicoflagellates are photosynthetic microalgae with a multi-stage life-cycle. They live in the upper part of the water column and are adapted for life in both warm and cold waters. They have been associated with fish kills in many places, e.g. Europe and Australia. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report in the literature on the occurrence of extant silicoflagellates in the coastal waters of Nigeria. Water samples were collected at Bar Beach (a marine habitat) and in the Lagos Lagoon, all in Lagos State, Nigeria in December 1999 and analyzed for the presence of extant silicoflagellates. Four species of silicoflagellates were recorded for the first time in these coastal waters. The species included Dictyocha crux, Dictyocha fibula, Distephanus octonarius var. polyactis and Octactis octonaria var. pulchra. Salinity, and not temperature, was a major environmental variable that influenced the distribution of the silicoflagellates in Nigeria’s coastal waters.