First recorded bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea (Dinophyceae) from the Cochin backwaters, a tropical estuarine system along the South Eastern Arabian Sea

Akashiwo sanguinea, a cosmopolitan red tide-forming dinoflagellate, is reported for the first time as a bloom from the Cochin estuary along the South Eastern Arabian Sea. Monthly sampling showed the continuous presence of A. sanguinea with occasional blooms. Blooms of A. sanguinea with the highest abundance of 2.8 × 105 cells l⁻¹ were observed during the monsoon season (June 2019) with chlorophyll a of 17.2 mg m⁻³. The bloom period was characterized by higher concentrations of nitrate (26 µmol l⁻¹) and phosphate (3.8 µmol l⁻¹). Routine monitoring of the bloom region showed the survival of the Akashiwo sanguinea population in the temperature (26 to 30°C) and salinity (22 to 24 PSU) range indicating its eurythermal and euryhaline characteristics.

Acknowledgements
This study was carried out as part of the Seed Money for New Research Initiatives (SMNRI) program under the State Plan Grant (2017-18) of Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), Kerala, India.

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