Checklist of Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) from the Southern Gulf of Mexico: Data-Base (1979-2010) and New Records

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compile a coded checklist of 430 taxa of diatoms collected over a span of 30 years (1979-2010) from water and net-tow samples in the southern Gulf of Mexico. The checklist is based on a long-term survey involving the 20 oceanographic cruises. The material for this study comprises water and net samples collected from 647 sites. Most species were identified in water mounts and permanent slides, and in a few cases a transmission or scanning electron microscope was used. The most diverse genera in both water and the net samples were Chaetoceros (44 spp.), Thalassiosira (23 spp.), Nitzschia (25 spp.), Amphora (16 spp.), Diploneis (16 spp.), Rhizosolenia (14 spp.) and Coscinodiscus (13 spp.). The most frequent species in net and water samples were, Actinoptychus senarius, Asteromphalus heptactis, Bacteriastrum delicatulum, Cerataulina pelagica, Chaetoceros didymus, C. diversus, C. lorenzianus, C. pelagicus, C. pseudocurvisetus, Coscinodiscus radiatus, Cyclotella striata, Diploneis bombus, Guinardia flaccida, Hemiaulus sinensis, Leptocylindrus danicus, Odontella aurita, O. mobiliensis, Paralia sulcata, Proboscia alata, Pseudo-nitzschia pseudodelicatissima, P. pungens, Skeletonema costatum, Thalassiosira eccentrica, T. partheneia, Thalassionema nitzschioides, and Thalassiothrix longissima. Ninety three taxa were new records for this region.