A taxonomical study of benthic Prorocentrum species (Prorocentrales, Dinophyceae) from Anse Dufour (Martinique Island, eastern Caribbean Sea)

Abstract

About 30 benthic Prorocentrum species have been described, some of which producing okadaic acid and derivatives involved in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. The western Caribbean has been extensively studied for benthic dinoflagellates associated with ciguatera, and fifteen Prorocentrum species were described from mangroves and coral reefs of Belize. In contrast, no study reported the diversity of this genus in the Eastern Caribbean, especially in the Lesser Antilles. This study adds to the biodiversity knowledge in Martinique Island by investigating one site of the Caribbean coast from 2010 to 2017. Sediment samples were collected each year in March and studied taxonomically. Identification was realized morphologically by scanning electron microscopy, while the partial large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA was sequenced for 42 isolated specimens (single-cells) and one strain in culture. A molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed 11 OTUs from Martinique, identified morphologically as P.

Taxonomy and toxicity of Prorocentrum from Perhentian Islands (Malaysia), with a description of a non-toxigenic species Prorocentrum malayense sp. nov. (Dinophyceae)

“…Prorocentrum malayense is readily distinguished from P. foraminosum s.s. (Faust, 1993a,b), P. cf. foraminosum (Chomérat et al, 2018) and P. sp. aff.…”

“…Morphological and molecular data together support the recognition of Prorocentrum malayense sp. nov., a new species closely related to species in Clade A sensu Chomérat et al (2018).…”

“…The description of P. malayense is supported by morphological and molecular data. Prorocentrum malayense possesses morphological characteristics common to Clade A sensu Chomérat et al (2018). Schematic drawings are presented in Fig.…”

“…8; Faust, 1990). The two species, however, can be easily distinguished by the thecal surface ornamentation, where P. concavum is reticulate-foveated (Mohammad-Noor et al, 2007a;Chomérat et al, 2018). There is only one size class of thecal pores in P. malayense, P. concavum, on the contrary, has two different size classes of pores, some with the presence of a ring-like structure surrounding the pores (Hoppenrath et al, 2013).…”

“…Species of the genus are generally identified morphologically based on the features of lateral plates and the periflagellar platelets (reviewed in Hoppenrath et al, 2013). However, sometimes the identity of species is uncertain since it cannot be readily determined, partly due to plasticity in the defined morphological traits and ambiguity in the original descriptions (Herrera-Sepúlveda et al, 2015;Chomérat et al, 2018). In this case, many species have been synonymized over the years: P. arabianum Morton & Faust (=P.…”