The seaweeds Myriogloea major Asensi (Chordariacea, Phaeophyceae) and Gayralia oxysperma (Kützing) K.L. Vinogradova ex Scagel et al. (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta): a case of range extension in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean?

• Published in: Marine biodiversity Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 853 - 860
• Main Authors: Pellizzari, F., Vélez-Rubio, G. M., Cristine-Silva, M., Carranza, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algae; Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Biodiversity; Biogeography; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Chlorophyta; Coasts; Cryptic species; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Habitat selection; Hydrology; Life Sciences; New records; Original Paper; Phaeophyceae; Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography; Range extension; Regions; Salinity; Seaweeds; Taxonomy; Ulvophyceae; South America; Brazil; Argentina; Uruguay; United States > US; Atlantic Ocean; Hard bottoms; New occurrence; Uruguay; Macroalgae; Distribution
• ISSN: 1867-1616; 1867-1624
• DOI: 10.1007/s12526-016-0447-8

This study reports the first occurrences of the brown seaweed Myriogloea major Asensi (Chordariacea, Phaeophyceae) and the green seaweed Gayralia oxysperma (Kützing) K.L. Vinogradova ex Scagel et al. (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta) along the Uruguayan coast. These new records could represent respectively a northward and southward range extension for M. major and G. oxysperma in the Southwestern Atlantic. These findings are particularly relevant since the Uruguayan coast has been highlighted as one of the least studied areas in the Southern Atlantic concerning macroalgal diversity, despite its phytogeographic relevance as an ecotone between the adjacent biogeographic provinces. Further research regarding seaweed diversity and distribution in the Uruguayan coast is demanded, in order to update the list of the marine phycoflora. Molecular approaches should be mandatory, since the presence of several cryptic species, such as Myriogloea and Gayralia , in the area has been reported. Considering the biogeographic relevance of the area, and the pressing needs to relate these new records with changes in regional circulation patterns, global meteoceanographic changes and/or anthropic introductions, these new occurrences highlights the need for urgent sampling surveys in the area.