Thirty-six dinoflagellate cysts, representing 15 genera were identified in the surface sediments obtained from the northwestern East China Sea. Three cyst morphotypes found in this survey have not previously been described in the East China Sea and adjacent waters: Seleno­pemphix sp. 2, Selenopemphix sp. 3 and Trinovantedinium sp. 1. In the northwestern East China Sea, Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites bulloideus and ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium were commonly observed. Moreover, it was recognized that the ellipsoidal cysts of Alexandrium, whose motile cells of A tamarense and/or A catenella are responsible to paralytic shellfish poisoning, distributed not only restricted to the coastal areas but also to the offshore stations far from the Changjiang River mouth.