Morphological and molecular characterization of Lobophora declerckii and L. variegata (Dictyotales, Ochrophyta) on the Atlantic coast of Mexico

Abstract

The Veracruz Reef System National Park (PNSAV) is located in the central region of Veracruz, off the coast of the municipalities of Veracruz, Boca del Río and Antón Lizardo. It is a complex and important system within the Gulf of Mexico, since it has been declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, a Ramsar wetland and an essential component of the southwestern Gulf of Mexico Reef Corridor. Lobophora contains 28 currently recognized species and has a pantropical distribution that includes the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in both hemispheres. Recently, some species have been identified from Western Atlantic Ocean, mainly in the Caribbean Sea. However, very little is known about Lobophora species diversity on the Mexican coast. In this study, morphological and molecular analyses (MAAT) using cytochrome c oxidase 3 (COX3) sequences as a barcode gene were used to study Lobophora spp. The results indicate that there are two species on the Mexican coasts, Lobophora declerckii and L. variegata. Lobophora declerckii represents a new record for the southwest of the Gulf of Mexico and, the presence of L. variegata was confirmed for the Mexican Caribbean.

New records of the genus Lobophora (Dictyotales: Phaeophyceae) for the marine flora of Cuba and their distribution in the Greater Caribbean Sea

“…The sum of dorsal cortical and subcortical cell layer height is also in the range (15-22 Table 3 Distribution of Lobophora canariensis, L. declerckii, L. guadeloupensis, L. littlerorum, and L. variegata for the Caribbean Sea. Source: Humm andJackson (1955), Schultz et al (2015), Delnatte and Wynne (2016), Vieira et al (2016), Vieira, Morrow et al (2020), Godínez-Ortega et al (2018), Camacho et al (2019), and this study.…”

“…Photographs of the studied material were taken using a smart phone Samsung Galaxy S8 (SM-G950F). For the morphological identification specialized literature was used (Camacho et al, 2019;Godínez-Ortega et al, 2018;Schultz et al, 2015;Vieira et al, 2016;Vieira, Henriques et al, 2020;Vieira, Morrow et al, 2020). Once identified they were deposited in 95% EtOH in labeled bottles.…”

“…However, the Greater Caribbean Sea is the area with the greatest diversity within the Atlantic Ocean, where our study focused. L. variegata historically was the unique species of this genus knowing for the Atlantic, but recently is most likely restricted to the Greater Caribbean Sea (Florida Keys, Western Caribbean, Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Eastern Caribbean (Godínez-Ortega et al, 2018;Vieira, Morrow et al, 2020). For the Greater Caribbean Sea the genus Lobophora has been reported in the Northern Caribbean (Carolinian, Florida Keys and Gulf of Mexico), Central Caribbean (Western Caribbean, Bermuda, Bahamas, Greater Antilles and Eastern Caribbean) and Southern Caribbean (Southwest Caribbean and Southern Caribbean) according to Vieira, Morrow et al (2020).…”

“…Lamouroux) Womersley ex E.C. Oliveira, 1977(Ballantine et al, 2019Camacho et al, 2019;Delnatte & Wynne, 2016;Godínez-Ortega et al, 2018;Schultz et al, 2015;Vieira et al, 2016). The Eastern and the Central Caribbean are the most diverse regions in the Greater Caribbean Sea with 16 species.…”

Diversity, Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of the Prevalent Brown Algal Genus Lobophora in the Greater Caribbean Sea, Including the Description of Five New Species1

“…, Godínez‐Ortega et al. , Camacho et al. ), based on molecular and morphological evidence established from type material (Vieira et al.…”