Four different FITC-conjugated lectins were used to visually evaluate lectin binding activity by optical staining quality using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) of Cochzodinium polykrikoides in nature (wild type) and culture (cultured type). Cells from the field and cultures treated with ConA fluoresced only at the outer cell wall, and the abundance and distribution of the fluorescent signal were similar. Treatment with PWM and HPA did not elicit fluorescence at the cell surface, but the wild type exposed to HPA showed greater binding than did the cultured cells, possibly due to greater concentrations of glucosamine. The wild type cells treated with LBL lectin showed a strong green fluorescence on the cell surface, whereas cultured cells did not. Signal intensity and abundance were greater than for any other lectins tested in this study. These results suggest that wild type and cultured type are significantly different based on surface sugar production. In particular, the wild type cells apear richer in galactosamine-like moieties. Neither glucose nor mannose-like moieties were present in either wild types or cultured cells.