Detailed palynological studies in the northeast (NE) Pacific, Strait of Georgia (BC, Canada), southeast (SE) Pacific and northwest Pacific (Dongdo Bay, South Korea) resulted in the recognition of the new dinoflagellate cyst species Selenopemphix undulata sp. nov. This species is restricted to cool temperate to sub-polar climate zones, where it is found in highest relative abundances in highly productive non- to reduced upwelling regions with an annual mean sea-surface temperature (aSST) below 16 degrees C and an annual mean sea-surface salinity (aSSS) between 20 and 35psu. Those observations are in agreement with the late Quaternary fossil records from Santa Barbara Basin (ODP 893; 34 degrees N) and offshore Chile (ODP 1233; 41 degrees S), where this species thrived during the last glacial. This period was characterized by high nutrient availability and the absence of species favoring upwelling conditions. The indirect dependence of S. undulata sp. nov. abundances on nutrient availability during reduced or non-upwelling periods is expressed by the synchronous fluctuations with diatom abundances, since the distribution and growth rates of the latter are directly related with the availability of macronutrients in the surface waters. Abstract Copyright (2011) Elsevier, B.V.