Rhodomonas abbreviata is a photosynthetic cryptophyte flagellate in the family Pyrenomonadaceae, characterized by its small, compressed cell with two unequal flagella and distinctive phycoerythrin pigments that give it a reddish coloration. It inhabits marine and brackish coastal waters where it contributes to nanophytoplankton communities. Cryptophytes like this species are important food sources for zooplankton and heterotrophic protists.