Author(s)

Oscar E. Hernandez^1*, Kurt M. Dreckmann², María Luisa Nuñez-Resendiz², Martha Isabel Vilchis^1,2, Abel Sentíes²

¹Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico City, México.
²Departamento de Hidrobiología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Mexico City, México.

Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis is a widely reported species of marine red algae, with records from around the world. Particularly in Mexico, it has been recorded along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean as well as the Tropical Mexican Pacific; so, its current distribution on the Mexican coasts is disjunct. From its molecular characterization with COI-5P and rbcL sequences of specimens collected at sites in Mexico where this species has been most frequently recorded, our aim was to re-evaluate the current distribution of Gp. lemaneiformis on the Mexican coasts and discuss the taxonomic implications. Phylogenetic analysis, supported by DNA species delimitation methods, genetic distances and morphological comparisons, showed that the current disjunct distribution of Gp. lemaniformis in Mexico is a consequence of taxonomic misidentifications. From our results, Gp. lemaneiformis is the only species of the genus with a distribution in the Tropical Mexican Pacific, whereas Gp. tenuifrons is the only species with a distribution in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Caribbean. Also, we propose that Gp. cata-luziana is to be merged with Gp. tenuifrons, while Gp. costarisensis is to be merged with Gp. lemaneiformis.

COI-5P, Cosmopolitan, Morphological Variation, rbcL, Species Delimitation

Hernandez, O. , Dreckmann, K. , Nuñez-Resendiz, M. , Vilchis, M. and Sentíes, A. (2020) Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta) in the Mexican Coasts: A Case of Disjunct Distribution?. American Journal of Plant Sciences, 11, 111-124. doi: 10.4236/ajps.2020.112009.