A plantlike flagellate of the subclass Phytomastigophorea, some species of which ( e.g., Gonyaulax cantanella) produce a potent neurotoxin that may cause severe food intoxication following ingestion of parasitized shellfish. [G. dinos, whirling, + L. flagellum, a whip]
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di·no·fla·gel·late .dī-nō-'flaj-ə-lət, -.lāt, -flə-'jel-ət n any of the order Dinoflagellata of phytoflagellates
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di·no·flag·el·late (di″no-flajґə-lāt) a protozoan of the phylum Dinoflagellata.
Electron micrograph of the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis.
Medical dictionary. 2011.