Species Composition and New Records of Diatom Taxa on Phyllodictyon pulcherrimum (Chlorophyceae) from the Gulf of California

Abstract

A taxonomic analysis of diatoms found on Phyllodictyon pulcherrimum yielded a total of 244 diatom taxa (all illustrated) within 27 orders, 45 families, and 86 genera. The Taxa were briefly documented in a list including identification references and morphometric data. Thirty-eight of the taxa identified at the species and infraspecific levels represent new records for the coasts of Mexico. Seven were recorded for the first time on the American continent: Auricula flabelliformis, A. pulchra, Campylodiscus scalaris, Coscinodiscus mesoleius, Dimeregramma fulvum, Navicula palpebralis var. angulosa, and Seminavis barbarae, and one, Nitzschia fusiformis, for the Pacific Ocean. This is the second record of the chlorophyte P. pulcherrimum in the north Pacific and the third for Mexican waters. The results confirm that surveying rare macroalgae species as hosts for epiphytic diatoms provides opportunities to seek new records of diatom taxa, or even new taxa, in regions around the world.

A First Estimate of Species Diversity for Benthic Diatom Assemblages from the Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico

“…gallopagensis, Gyrosigma parvulum, Psammodictyon pustulatum, Psammodictyon roridum, Seminavis basilica, Trachyneis aspera var. oblonga and Tryblionella nicobarica, among others [7,50]. This indicates a biogeographical connectivity between regions where warm conditions determine the presence of species with a tropical affinity.…”

“…Thus, both diversity and ecological aspects of benthic diatoms should be considered essential in order to have an adequate ecological prospect of any aquatic ecosystem, particularly when developing management plans for protected areas. The high floristic potential of benthic diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) for Mexican littorals has recently been confirmed through surveying new substrata and by studies in hitherto unexplored areas that have yielded numerous new records for the region [3][4][5][6][7] and have enriched the overall species list for the region [6]. According to [8], in some parts of the biosphere where diatoms are abundant, there is very little known about them.…”