The brown alga Dictyota canariensis (Grunow) Tronholm has so far been reported only from the eastern Atlantic Ocean (Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira). In the present work, we record the species for the first time from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, occurring in Montepío, Veracruz. The specimens were collected in December 2011 and October 2013, growing in the intertidal zone on moderately exposed rocky shores. To confirm the identification, we conducted phylogenetic analyses, combining the partial sequences of psbA and cox1 genes of l7 taxa. The low uncorrected “p” distance values obtained between Mexican and Canary Island specimens for each gene (0.3% for psbA and 1.8% for cox1) are indicative that these specimens most likely belong to the same species. The low genetic divergence is corroborated by morphological observations, which show that the Mexican specimens share the presence of rectangular pigmented patches near the rounded to obtuse apices, margins with triangle-shaped teeth, and a monostromatic medulla with D. canariensis. Additionally, male reproductive structures are described for the first time for this species. |
