Dictyochales
| Silicoflagellates Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Dictyocha speculum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Stramenopiles |
| Division: | Ochrophyta |
| Class: | Dictyochophyceae |
| Order: | Dictyochales Haeckel, 1894 |
| Family: | Dictyochaceae Lemmermann, 1901 |
| Genera | |
| Synonyms | |
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The silicoflagellates (order Dictyochales) are a small group of unicellular photosynthetic protists, or algae, belonging to the supergroup of eukaryotes known as Stramenopiles. They behave as phytoplankton and are present in oceanic waters. They are well known from harmful algal blooms that cause high mortality of fish. Additionally, they compose a rich fossil record represented by their silica skeletons.