An illustration of the aboral side view of the Noctiluca scintillans. Noctiluca scintillans, also published as Noctiluca miliaris, is a free-living non-parasitic marine-dwelling species of dinoflagellate that exhibits bioluminescence. The bioluminescent characteristic of N. scintillans is produced by a luciferin-luciferase system located in thousands of spherically shaped organelles, or "microsources", located throughout the cytoplasm of this single-celled protist. Nonluminescent populations within the genus Noctiluca lack these microsources.

Aboral Side View of the Noctiluca Scintillans

An illustration of the aboral side view of the Noctiluca scintillans. Noctiluca scintillans, also published…