The mucilage‐producing Phaeocystis pouchetii (Prymnesiophyceae), cultured from the 1981 “Tasman Bay slime”

The mucilage‐producing colonial form of Phaeocystis pouchetii (Hariot) Lagerheim is recorded in New Zealand for the first time. These non‐motile colonies have been cultured from the 1981 “Tasman Bay slime” in filtered seawater medium enriched with soil extract and vitamins. Massive occurrence of the mucilage‐producing Phaeocystis colonies in association with other phytoplankton is suggested to be the cause of the “Tasman Bay slime” outburst in spring 1981.