The first recorded bloom of Protoperidinium quinquecorne and its link to a massive fish kill in Yemeni coastal waters, Southern Red Sea

Abstract

As part of an ongoing monitoring study of phytoplankton in Yemeni coastal waters we report, for the first time, a dense bloom (14.3×10⁶ cell L⁻¹) of the marine dinoflagellate species Protoperidinium quinquecorne (Abé) Balech on June 6, 2012 from the coastal water of Al Hodeidah and Khor Al-Khateeb lagoon, southern Red Sea. Water temperature was 34°C and salinity was 36 during the bloom, indicating its tropical and subtropical nature. This bloom was accompanied by a massive kill of small pelagic fish, which were mostly sardines. Among the phytoplankton species reported during the P. quinquecorne bloom, the red tide-forming species, Trichodesmium erythraeum (cyanobacteria), Gonyaulax verior, and Prorocentrum micans, and the known toxic species, Dinophysis acuminata, were notable.