go·ny·au·lax .gō-nē-'ȯ-.laks n
1) cap a large genus of phosphorescent marine dinoflagellates that when unusually abundant cause red tide
2) any dinoflagellate of the genus Gonyaulax
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Gony·au·lax (gon″e-awґlaks) [gony- + Gr. aulakos a furrow] a genus of plantlike marine protozoa of the order Gonyaulacales, phylum Dinoflagellata, having mainly brown to yellow chromatophores. Like other dinoflagellates, they can produce red tide when present in vast numbers. Certain species have been associated with a form of shellfish poisoning (q.v.). Representative species include G. acatenella, G. catenella, G. polyedra, and G. tamarensis.Medical dictionary. 2011.