CARACTERIZACIÓN MORFOLÓGICA DE PADINA BOERGESENII (DICTYOTACEAE, PHAEOPHYCEAE) EN LA COSTA MEXICANA DEL GOLFO DE MÉXICO Y MAR CARIBE

Abstract

A morphological characterization of Padina
boergesenii Allender & Kraft was carried
out based on variation in sporophytes and
gametophytes of male and female plants
from Mexican populations from the Gulf
of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. We analyzed
78 herbarium specimens from ENCB (47
vouchers), FEZA (30) and UAMIZ (1). The
specimens were taken during 1960 to 2007
at 14 coastal and 20 insular localities from
Veracruz, Campeche, Yucatan and Quintana
Roo. Of the specimens examined 95% were
sporophytic thalli; only 5% were gametophytic, two female and one male. The one
thallus seen with both types of gametangia
came from Isla Chica, Yucatan, suggesting
that P. boergesenii can have monoecious
or dioecious thalli. In coastal localities the
thalli become shallowly split into fan-shaped
segments, whereas in insular localities they
are semicircular with entire margins and
only rarely split into segments. Finally, this
taxon, which inhabits the intertidal zone,
is distributed in Mexico from Veracruz to
Quintana Roo.