Marine benthic algae from the Campeche Banks, México

Introduction

The Gulf of Mexico has an extensive continental shelf that may be divided into the following major types: 1) an alluvial sector from Tamaulipas to Veracruz with several estuarine systems; 2) the sub-merged limestone plateau off the coast of Yucatan, known as the Campeche Banks, of biogenic origin composed mainly of coral and calcareous algal remains; and 3) the Caribbean sector where the narrow and karstic continental shelf is character-ized by coral reefs. The dispersal of marine algae by currents in the area tends to be from the Caribbean Sea to the Campeche Banks and westward and northward as permitted by other environmental factors. Warm water (of about 36.4 PSU) flows from the Caribbean Sea up the Yucatan channel into the Gulf of Mexico. A branch of this current curves westward and flows over Campeche Banks and spreads out into the Gulf of Mexico. This branch consists of deep water (225–250 m, 16–20 ˚C), and, during spring and summer, this is a barrier to the continuous dispersal of marine algae from the Bahamas Banks and West Indies into the Gulf of Mexico.

Collections of marine algae from the southern

Gulf of Mexico were first reported by Agardh based on specimens collected by Prof. Frederik C Liebmann (Agardh, 1847). In this list of 29 species, about 10 came from the state of Veracruz and the Campeche Banks, the type localities for several of them. Additional records from the Gulf coast of Mexico were noted by Taylor (1941) who added about 45 species to the list, and by Humm (1952) whose list of 24 species from the Campeche Banks included 12 not previously reported. For the Gulf coast of Mexico, Humm & Hildebrand (1962) reported 140 species, 70 (50%) belonging to the Rhodophyta, 35 (25 %) to the Chlorophyta, 25 (18%) to the Phaeophyta and 10 species (7%) to the Cyanophyta.

In addition, algae of nearby coastal locations at the submerged limestone plateau of the Yucatan peninsula have also been collected (Huerta & Garza, 1966; Huerta-Muzquiz et al., 1987; Ortega, 1995), although that area has not been critically surveyed. In view of the paucity of information available on the algae of the present area, we have included these deep water records in the list. This study provides an updated list of the marine ben-thic algae collected at the Campeche Banks.

257

Marine benthic algae from the Campeche Banks, México

D Robledo

_{, Y Freile-Pelegrín}

_{and I Sánchez-Rodríguez}

Key words:biogeography, Gulf of Mexico, marine algae, taxonomy

Abstract

The marine benthic algae of Campeche Banks, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, include 130 species of which 19 are brown, 35 are green and 76 are red. Deep water marine benthic algae found off the coast of Yucatan are also included in this list. New records include Codium isthmocladumvar. clavatum(Collins & Harvey) P.C. Silva; Udotea spinulosa Howe; Dictyota pinnatifida Kützing; Dictyopteris jamaiciensisTaylor; Dictyopteris justii Lamouroux; Cryptonemia crenulata (J. Agardh) J. Agardh; Galaxaura subverticillata Kjellman; Gelidiella acerosa (Førsskal) Feldman & Hamel; Gelidiopsis variabilis (Greville ex J. Agardh) F. Schmitz; Tricleocarpa fragilis(Linnaeus) Husiman & Townsend and Scinaia complanata(Collins) Cotton. The num-ber of species found in this study is compared with the numnum-bers reported in the literature for Campeche and Yucatan, Mexico.

MARINE ALGAE FROM CAMPECHE BANKS

Materials and Methods

Sampling was carried out on the Campeche Banks during March–April 1993 by means of a sub-mersible (MIR I-II). A total of 45 samples were collected at 20°35’ N; 92°04’ W and 20°47’ N; 91°56’ W, between 21 and 53 m depths (with water temperatures of 19.5–23°C) (Fig.1). The collected material was preserved in 4% formalde-hyde in seawater, and sorted and pressed for later study in the laboratory. Hand sectioning and iden-tification were done in the Phycology laboratory at CINVESTAV-Merida, Yucatán. Classification fol-lows Taylor (1960), Wynne (1998) and Ortega et al.(2001). Voucher species are kept in the Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (CICI-MAR) Biological collection and are available on request.

Results and Discussion

The list of species recorded for the Campeche Banks is given in Table 1. Twenty-two species were obtained from the deep collection. New records for

the Campeche Banks from deep water include: green algae Codium isthmocladum var. clavatum and Udotea spinulosa; brown algae Dictyota pinnat-ifida, Dictyopteris jamaiciensis and Dictyopteris justii; red algae Cryptonemia crenulata, Galaxaura subverticillata, Gelidiella acerosa, Gelidiopsis vari-abilis, Tricleocarpa fragilisand Scinaia complanata. Other members of the Chlorophyta found in deep waters of the Campeche Banks are Halimeda discoidea and Udotea conglutinata. The family Caulerpaceae, order Bryopsidae, was the most con-spicuous, with seven species (and an additional two forms) reported for Campeche according to the lit-erature. The chlorophyte Codium isthmocladumvar clavatumwas also recorded in deep water from the Bahamas (Norris & Olsen, 1991). Although Udotea spinulosa has been described previously on moderately deep sand plains from 10–20 m (Littler & Littler, 2000), we found it at 48 m depth. Flat growth forms are also common in the deep-water algal flora off the coast of southern Florida (Eiseman, 1978).

Sargassum filipendula, Lobophora variegata and Codium isthmocladum var. clavatum were more abundant in deeper regions of the study area (42–53 m). The phaeophyte Lobophora variegata forms golden brown erect blades down to at least 90 m depth and dark brown crusts in the intertidal zone (Ruyter van Steveninck et al., 1988). Dictyopteris justii and D. jamaicensis have been reported to 50 and 73 m depths respectively, but we found it at 27 m. The family Dictyotaceae, order Dictyotales, included twelve species of which three are reported for the first time in the area. The brown alga Dictyota pulchellawas also found.

The red algae Acanthophora spicifera, Amphiroa fragilissima, Botryocladia occidentalis, Gelidiella tay-loriiand Gelidium americanumpreviously reported in the literature were also obtained in this collec-tion. Nine species of Gracilariahave been reported for the area, although the genus Tricleocarpa was the most conspicuous in deep water samples. Papenfuss et al.(1982) regarded Tricleocarpa cylin-drica (as Galaxaura cylindrica) to be conspecific with Galaxaura oblongata. Littler & Littler (1997) first reported Gelidiopsis variabilisfrom Belize (syn-onym Gelidiopsis gracilis) which was also reported

Fig 1. Map showing the location of the collection site at the Campeche Banks, Mexico.

as part of a deep water benthic macroalgal com-munity in east Florida (Hanisak & Blair, 1988). Also, the genera Ceramium, Laurencia and Polysiphonia are well represented in Campeche. Gelidium americanumhas been reported previous-ly for Brazil and Venezuela (Wynne, 1998). Scinaia complanata was reported by Taylor (1960), and, later, Garza-Barrientos et al. (1984) reported this species from Tamaulipas, Mexico. The report of Kappaphycus inerme from Campeche, México, as

Eucheuma inerme (Ortega, 1995) places

Kappaphycusinto the flora of the western Atlantic. Previously, the genus was known only from the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The presence of this genus in the Gulf of Mexico is most likely anthropogenic in origin since it is used for mariculture in Cuba (Dreckmann, 1998).

Conclusion

A list of 130 species of marine algae from the Campeche Banks is given. Eleven species are reported for the first time from the Campeche Banks. The red algae constituted 58 percent of the total flora reported so far for the southern Gulf of Mexico.

Acknowledgements

We kindly acknowledge permission of Russian sci-entists of the scientific expedition of MIR I-II to the Campeche Banks to collect the marine benthic algae.

References

Agardh JG (1847). Nya alger fran Mexico. Ofvers. Kongl. [Svenska] Veten-Akad. Forhandlingar4: 5–17.

Dreckmann KM (1998). Clasificación y nomenclatura de las macroal-gas marinas bentónicas del Atlántico mexicano. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO), 140 pp.

Eiseman NJ (1978). Observations on the marine algae occurring from 30-100 meter depths on the east coast of Florida. J. Phycol.

14(Suppl.): 25.

Garza-Barrientos MA, Martínez Lozano S & MA Escalante C (1984). Contribución al conocimiento de las algas marinas ben-tónicas de Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas, México. Phycol. Lat. Amer.2: 103–125.

Hanisak MD & Blair SM (1988). The deep-water macroalgal community of the east Florida continental shelf (USA).

Helgoländer Meeres.42: 133–163.

Huerta LM & Garza BMA (1966). Algas marinas del litoral del estado de Campeche. Ciencia(México) 24: 193–200. Huerta-Múzquiz L, Mendoza-González AC & Mateo-Cid LE

(1987). Avance sobre un estudio de las algas marinas de Yucatan. Phycologia62: 23–53.

Humm HJ (1952). Marine algae from Campeche Banks. Florida State University Studies N˚ 7. 27 pp.

Humm HJ & Hildebrand H (1962). Marine algae from the Gulf coast of Texas and Mexico. Publ. Inst. Mar. Sci., Univ. Texas, 8: 227–268.

Littler DS & Littler MM (1997). An illustrated marine flora of the Pelican Cays, Belize. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash.9: 1–149. Littler DS & Littler MM (2000). Caribbean reef plants. Offshore

graphics, Inc. Washington, 542 pp.

Norris JN & Olsen JL (1991). Deep-water green algae from the Bahamas, including Cladophora vandenhoekii sp. nov. (Cladophorales). Phycologia30: 315–328.

Ortega MM (1995). Observaciones del fitobentos de la Laguna de Términos, Campeche, México. Anales Inst. Biol. Univ. Autón. México, Ser. Bot.66(1): 1–36.

Ortega MM, Godinez JL & Garduño G (2001). Catálogo de algas marinas bénticas de las costas mexicanas del Golfo de México y Mar Caribe. Cuadernos del Instituto de Biología, UNAM, México, 504 pp.

Papenfuss GF, Mshigeni KE & Chiang Y-M (1982). Revision of the red algal genus Galaxaura with special reference to the species occurring in the western Indian Ocean. Bot. Mar.25: 401–444.

Ruyter van Steveninck, ED, Kamermans P & Breeman AM (1988). Transplant experiments with two morphological forms of Lobophora variegata(Phaeophyceae). Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.49: 191–194.

Taylor WR (1941). Tropical marine algae of the Arthur Schott herbarium. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser.20(4): 87–104. Taylor WR (1960). Marine algae of the eastern tropical and

subtropi-cal coast of the Americas. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. xi + 870 pp.

Wynne MJ (1998). A checklist of benthic marine algae of the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic: first revision. Nova Hedwigia, Beiheft116: iii + 1–155.

MARINE ALGAE FROM CAMPECHE BANKS

MARINE ALGAE FROM CAMPECHE BANKS

Species Campeche Yucatan

Chlorophyta

Acetabularia crenulata Lamouroux 1 ₊₊

Blidingia minima (Nägeli) Kylin 2 _{+ +}

Bryopsis plumosa (Hudson) C. Agardh 4 _{+ +}

Bryopsis ramulosa Montagne4 ₊

Caulerpa cupressoides var. turneri Weber-van Bosse 2 _{+ +}

Caulerpa fastigiata var. confervoides P. & H. Crouan ex Weber-van Bosse 2, 4 ₊

Caulerpa mexicana f. pectinata (Kützing) W. R. Taylor 4 ₊

Caulerpa peltata Lamouroux 1 _{+ +}

Caulerpa prolifera (Førsskal) Lamouroux 1, 4 _{+ +}

Caulerpa prolifera f. obovata (J. Agardh) Weber-van Bosse 1, 2 _{+ +}

Caulerpa prolifera f. zosterifolia Børgesen 4 _{+ +}

Caulerpa racemosa var. occidentalis (J. Agardh) Børgesen 1,4 _{+ +}

Caulerpa sertularioides f. longiseta (Bory) Svedelius 4 _{+ +}

Chaetomorpha aerea (Dillwyn) Kützing 4 ₊

Chaetomorpha antennina (Bory de Saint Vincent) Kützing 2, 4 ₊

Chaetomorpha gracilis Kützing 4 _{+ +}

Chaetomorpha minima Collins & Harvey 2 _{+ +}

Cladophora catenata (Linnaeus) Kützing 2 _{+ +}

Cladophora montagneana Kützing 2 _{+ +}

Cladophora vagabunda (Linnaeus) van den Hoek 2, 4 _{+ +}

Cladophoropsis membranacea (Hofman Bang ex C. Agardh) Børgesen 4 _{+ +}

Codium isthmocladum Vickers 1, 4 _{+ +}

Codium isthmocladum var. clavatum (Collins & Harvey) P. C. Silva 6 ₊

Enteromorpha flexuosa (Wulfen) J. Agardh subsp. flexuosa 2 _{+ +}

Enteromorpha lingulata J. Agardh 4 _{+ +}

Enteromorpha prolifera (O. F. Müller) J. Agardh 2 _{+ +}

Entocladia viridis Reinke 4 _{+ +}

Halimeda discoidea Decaisne 2, 6 ₊

Penicillus dumetosus (Lamouroux) Blainville 2 _{+ +}

Phaeophila dendroides (P. & H. Crouan) Batters 1,4 _{+ +}

Rhizoclonium africanum Kützing 3, 4 _{+ +}

Udotea conglutinata (Ellis & Solander) Lamouroux 1,6 _{+ +}

Udotea flabellum (Ellis & Solander) M. Howe 2 _{+ +}

Udotea spinulosa Howe 6 ₊

Ulva fasciata Delile 2 _{+ +}

Phaeophyta

Asteronema rhodochortonoides (Børgesen) D. Müller & Parodi 3, 4 _{+ +}

Colpomenia sinuosa (Roth) Derbes & Solier 3, 6 _{+ +}

Dictyopteris jamaicensis Taylor6 ₊

Dictyopteris justii Lamouroux 6 ₊

Dictyota bartayresiana Lamouroux 4 _{+ +}

Dictyota ciliolata Kützing 4 _{+ +}

Dictyota menstrualis (Hoyt) Schnetter, Hörnig & Weber Peukert 5 _{+ +}

Dictyota mertensii (Martius) Kützing 5 ₊

Dictyota pinnatifida Kützing 6 ₊

Dictyota pulchella Hörnig & Schnetter 1, 5, 6 _{+ +}

Ectocarpus elachistaeformis Heydrich 2, 4 _{+ +}

Feldmannia indica (Sonder) Womersley & Bailey 4 _{+ +}

Hincksia mitchelliae (Harvey) P. C. Silva 4, 5 _{+ +}

Hydroclathrus clathratus (C. Agardh) M. Howe 5 ₊

Table 1.List of marine algae recorded for the Campeche Banks, Mexico, from previous and current studies. Presence (+) of species in Campeche and Yucatan is indicated.

MARINE ALGAE FROM CAMPECHE BANKS

261 Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux) Womersley ex Oliveira 5, 6

Padina boergesenii Allender & Kraft 4, 5

Padina gymnospora (Kützing) Sonder 4

Padina sanctae-crucis Børgesen5

Sargassum filipendula C. Agardh 5, 6

Rhodophyta

Acanthophora spicifera (Vahl) Børgesen 2, 4, 6

Acrochaetium hypneae (Børgesen) Børgesen 4

Agardhiella ramossisima (Harvey) Kylin 2

Agardhiella subulata (C. Agardh) Kraft & Wynne 1

Amphiroa fragilissima (Linnaeus) Lamouroux 2, 6

Anotrichium tenue (C. Agardh) Nägeli 4

Bostrychia radicans (Montagne) Montagne 4

Bostrychia tenella (Lamouroux) J. Agardh 2

Botryocladia occidentalis (Børgesen) Kylin 2, 6

Bryothamnion seaforthii (Turner) Kützing 2

Caloglossa leprieurii (Montagne) G. Martens 2, 4

Centroceras clavulatum (C. Agardh) Montagne 1, 2, 4

Ceramium brasiliense Joly 2

Ceramium cimbricum f. flaccidum (H. Petersen) Furnari & Serio 1

Ceramium cruciatum Collins & Harvey 2

Ceramium deslongchampii Chauvin ex Duby 2

Ceramium diaphanum (Lightfoot) Roth 2

Champia parvula (C. Agardh) Harvey 4

Chondria baileyana (Montagne) Harvey 4

Chondria capillaris (Hudson) Wynne 4

Chondria littoralis Harvey 2

Chondria sedifolia Harvey 4

Crouania attenuata (C. Agardh) J. Agardh. 3

Cryptonemia crenulata (J. Agardh) J. Agardh 6

Digenea simplex (Wulfen) C. Agardh 2, 4

Erythrocladia irregularis Rosenvinge 4

Eucheuma isiforme (C. Agardh) J. Agardh 1, 2, 4

Eucheuma isiforme var.denudatum Cheney 5

Galaxaura subverticillata Kjellman 6

Gelidiella acerosa (Førsskal) Feldmann & Hamel 6

Gelidiella taylorii Joly 2, 6

Gelidiopsis variabilis (Greville ex J. Agardh) F. Schmitz 6

Gelidium americanum (W. R. Taylor) Santelices 4, 6

Gelidium pusillum(Stackhouse) Le Jolis 2, 4

Gracilaria blodgettii Harvey 2, 4

Gracilaria caudata J. Agardh 4

Gracilaria cervicornis (Turner) J. Agardh 2, 4

Gracilaria curtissiae J. Agardh 4

Gracilaria damaecornis J. Agardh 2, 4

Gracilaria domingensis (Kützing) Sonder ex Kützing 4

Gracilaria foliifera sensu Taylor 2

Gracilaria tikvahiae McLachlan 4

Gracilaria venezuelensis W. R. Taylor 4

Gracilariopsis tenuifrons (Bird & Oliveira) Fredericq & Hommersand 2, 4

Grateloupia filicina (Lamouroux) C. Agardh 2

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

MARINE ALGAE FROM CAMPECHE BANKS

Gymnogongrus griffithsiae (Turner) Martius 2

Gymnogongrus norvegicus (Gunner) J. Agardh 2

Gymnogongrus tenuis J. Agardh 2, 4

Herposiphonia secunda (C. Agardh) Ambronn 2

Herposiphonia secunda f. tenella (C. Agardh) Wynne 4

Heterosiphonia crispella (C. Agardh) Wynne 4

Hydrolithon farinosum (Lamouroux) Penrose & Chamberlain 4

Hypnea musciformis (Wulfen) Lamouroux 2, 4

Hypnea spinella (C. Agardh) Kützing 2

Hypneocolax stellaris Børgesen 4

Jania adhaerens Lamouroux 2, 4

Kappahycus inerme (Schmitz) Doty ex P.C. Silva 4

Laurencia gemmifera Harvey 4

Laurencia intricata Lamouroux 2

Laurencia microladia Kützing 2

Laurencia obtusa (Hudson) Lamouroux 2

Laurencia papillosa (C. Agardh) Greville 2, 4

Lophocladia trichoclados (C. Agardh) Schmitz 4

Meristiella gelidium (J. Agardh) Cheney & Gabrielson 4

Pneophyllum fragile Kützing 1, 2

Polysiphonia atlantica Kapraun & J. N. Norris 2

Polysiphonia ferulacea Suhr ex J. Agardh 4

Polysiphonia gorgoniae Harvey 2

Polysiphonia howei Hollenberg 2

Polysiphonia subtilissima Montagne 2

Scinaia complanata (Collins) Cotton 6

Spyridia filamentosa (Wulfen) Harvey 2, 4

Stylonema alsidii (Zanardini) K. Drew 4

Tricleocarpa cylindrica (Ellis & Solander) Huisman & Borowitzka 3, 6

Tricleocarpa fragilis (Linnaeus) Huisman & Townsend 6

Wrangelia argus (Montagne) Montagne 4

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Species Campeche Yucatan