Molecular phylogeny, pigment composition, toxicology and life history of Pseudochattonella cf. verruculosa (Class Dictyochophyceae) from Wellington Harbour, New Zealand

•Pigment composition of the Wellington Pseudochattonella differ from those of P. verruculosa and P. farcimen.•In terms of size and shape, both the cells and mucocysts of the Wellington isolate have the greatest variation among all Pseudochattonella.•As molecular phylogenies do not conclusively support the separation of the Wellington Pseudochattonella from P. verruculosa or P. farcimen, it is tentatively named as Pseudochattonella cf. verruculosa.•The life history of Pseudochattonella has for the first time been described in this study.