Classification

Noctiluca scintillans

Domain: Eukarya- N. scintillans belongs to the eukaryotes because its cells have a true nucleus. Other examples of Eukarya include very diverse organisms that look completely different including Lama glama, Chlamydosaurus kingii, and Phytophthra infestans.
 
Kingdom: Protista- Organisms in this kingdom are mostly unicellular, but some are multicellular or colonial. They can be hetertrophic or autotrophic and sexual or asexual. These are eukaryotic organisms that are not plants, animals or fungi and therefore do not fit into any other kingdom. Some other organisms in this kingdom are Cyanidium caldarium, a red algae, and Diatoms (Tutor Vista 2013).
 
Phylum: Dinoflagellata- Dinoflagellates are unicellular organisms with biflagellated cells. This group consists of both heterotrophic and autotrophic organisms (Holt, J.R. 2013).
 
Class: Noctiluciphyceae- Organisms in this class are dinoflagellates with a large free-living cell inflated by vacuoles. Another organism in this class is Kofoidinium velleloides (Tree of Life 2012).
 
 Order: Noctilucales- In N. scintillans, the mature cell is diploid and it shows gametic meiosis. The cells of these organisms are very large and buoyant This puts them in this order(Tree of Life 2012).
 
 Family: Noctiluaceae- Organisms in this family are characterized by a highly buoyant, motile cell with a flagellum and a feeding tentacle (Tree of Life 2012).
 
 Genus: Noctiluca- Organisms in this genus are bioluminescent and are phagotrophic (Tree of Life 2012).
 
 Species: Noctiluca scintillans
 
 In Latin, Noctiluca means “shine by night” and scintillans means “sparkling” (Ocean 2012).

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