Dinoflagellate cysts in recent sediments from the west coast of Sweden

This is the first study of dinoflagellate cysts in recent coastal sediments from the Swedish west coast. Sediments from 19 sites were investigated. Fi fty-four types of cysts were encountered, of these 40 were identified to sp ecies level, representing 13 genera. The most common species were those of Lingulodinium polyedrum, Protoceratium reticulatum, Scrippsiella trochoidea , Pentapharsodinium dalei and Gonyaulax cf. spinifera. Cysts of the potenti ally toxic species Alexandrium minutum and Alexandrium tamarense were widel y distributed as well as Gymnodinium nolleri, the non-toxic G. catenatum-li ke microreticulate cyst found in Northern Europe. Nine of the species found in this survey have not previously been reported from Sweden: Diplopelta p arva, D. symmetrica, Diplopsalopsis latipeltata, Diplopsalis lebourae, Prot operidinium americanum, P. avellana, P. divaricatum, P. nudum and P. stella tum.