Polykrikos kofoidii

{{Short description|Species of single-celled organism}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Bmc evol bio hoppenrath Polykrikos kofoidii extruded nematocyst fig1l.png

| image_caption = A light micrograph of Polykrikos kofoidii showing an extruded nematocyst. Scale bar = 10µm.{{cite journal|last1=Hoppenrath|first1=M|last2=Bachvaroff|first2=TR|last3=Handy|first3=SM|last4=Delwiche|first4=CF|last5=Leander|first5=BS|title=Molecular phylogeny of ocelloid-bearing dinoflagellates (Warnowiaceae) as inferred from SSU and LSU rDNA sequences.|journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology|date=25 May 2009|volume=9|issue=1|pages=116|pmid=19467154|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-9-116|pmc=2694157|doi-access=free|bibcode=2009BMCEE...9..116H}}

| image_alt = A light micrograph of a bullet-shaped cell with a large spiral filament (the extruded nematocyst).

| genus = Polykrikos

| species = kofoidii

| authority = Chatton, 1914{{cite WoRMS |author=M. Guiry |year=2015 |title=Polykrikos kofoidii Chatton, 1914 |db=AlgaeBase |id=109899 |accessdate=11 August 2015}}

}}

Polykrikos kofoidii is a species of phagotrophic marine pseudocolonial dinoflagellates that can capture and engulf other protist prey, including the toxic dinoflagellate, Alexandrium tamarense.{{cite journal|last=Cho|first=Hyun-Jin|author2=Kazumi Matsuoka|title=Cell lysis of a phagotrophic dinoflagellate, Polykrikos kofoidii feeding on Alexandrium tamarense|journal=Plankton Biology and Ecology|year=2000|volume=47|issue=2|pages=134–136}}{{cite journal|last=Hoppenrath|first=Mona|author2=Brian S. Leander|title=Character evolution in polykrikoid dinoflagellates|journal=Journal of Phycology|year=2007|volume=43|issue=2 |pages=366–377|doi=10.1111/j.1529-8817.2007.00319.x|bibcode=2007JPcgy..43..366H |s2cid=16821791 }} P. kofoidii is of scientific interest due to its status as a predator of other dinoflagellates, a behavior that is significant in the control of algal blooms.{{cite journal|last1=Gavelis|first1=Gregory S.|last2=White|first2=Richard A.|last3=Suttle|first3=Curtis A.|last4=Keeling|first4=Patrick J.|last5=Leander|first5=Brian S.|title=Single-cell transcriptomics using spliced leader PCR: Evidence for multiple losses of photosynthesis in polykrikoid dinoflagellates|journal=BMC Genomics|date=17 July 2015|volume=16|issue=1|page=528 |doi=10.1186/s12864-015-1636-8|pmid=26183220|pmc=4504456 |doi-access=free }}{{cite journal|last1=Matsuyama|first1=Y|last2=Miyamoto|first2=M|last3=Kotani|first3=Y|title=Grazing impacts of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Polykrikos kofoidii on a bloom of Gymnodinium catenatum|journal=Aquatic Microbial Ecology|date=1999|volume=17|pages=91–98|doi=10.3354/ame017091|doi-access=free}}{{cite journal|last1=JEONG|first1=HAE JIN|last2=KIM|first2=SOO KYEONG|last3=KIM|first3=JAE SEONG|last4=KIM|first4=SEONG TAEK|last5=YOO|first5=YEONG DU|last6=YOON|first6=JOO YIH|title=Growth and Grazing Rates of the Heterotrophic Dinoflagellate Polykrikos kofoidii on Red-Tide and Toxic Dinoflagellates|journal=The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology|date=May 2001|volume=48|issue=3|pages=298–308|doi=10.1111/j.1550-7408.2001.tb00318.x|pmid=11411838|s2cid=27126586 }} It has a complex life cycle of both vegetative (asexual) and sexual reproduction complicated by its pseudocolonial structure.{{cite journal|last1=Tillmann|first1=Urban|last2=Hoppenrath|first2=Mona|title=Life Cycle of the pseudocolonial dinoflagellate (Gymnodiniales, Dinoflagellata)|journal=Journal of Phycology|date=April 2013|volume=49|issue=2|pages=298–317|doi=10.1111/jpy.12037|pmid=27008517|s2cid=30674349 }}