The Comparison of Two Strains of Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae) in New Zealand and Japan

Fibrocapsa japonica (Raphidophyceae) is regarded as a harmful algal bloom organism in Japanese waters, where it has been linked to fish kills. Fibrocapsa is a common species in New Zealand coastal waters, particularly in the Hauraki Gulf, where it has regularly bloomed in the spring under E1 Nino climate conditions for the past six years. The New Zealand isolate had 1.4 times more total polyunsaturated acids than the Japanese isolate under the same growth conditions, suggesting that eicosapentaenoic acid in particular coold be used as a discriminating chemotaxonomic marker. The molecular probes tested showed no differential binding of the raphidophytes to lectins, but oligonucleotide probes targeted F. japonica ribosomal RNA bound specifically to both isolates. Neither strain was toxic in mouse or neuroblastoma bioassays. There is no evidence that the New Zealand F. japonica isolates investigated to date produce ichthyotoxins.