First Record of Scytosiphon gracilis Kogame (Scytosiphonaceae,Phaeophyceae) for the Pacific coast of Mexico

Abstract

In this work we report the occurrence of Scytosiphon gracilisKogame (Scytosiphonaceae, Phaeophyceae) on thePacific coast of Mexico. This is the first report of S. gracilisoutside its previously known distribution in the westernNorth Pacific (Korea and Japan). The identification was based on a morphological revision and a comparison of theplastid-encoded RuBisCO spacer sequences determined for Korean and Mexican algal material. Thalli werecollected from the intertidal zone of Saldamando Beach, Baja California, in January 2003. The vegetative structure,as well as habitat and geographic distribution of the species are described. Reproductive structures were not foundin our specimens. The poor presence/absence of S. gracilisin previous floristic studies of the area could be due to itssmall size and low frequency