An Annotated Checklist of Dinoflagellates (Dinophyceae) From the Mexican Pacific.

Abstract

An annotated checklist of about 605 principally free-living dinoflagellate species and infraspecific taxa from 91 genera reported from the Mexican Pacific is presented on the basis of published literature, some theses, unpublished reports, and original data. Literature references from 1878 to 2005 (in total, 311) are included in the bibliography, and taxonomic notes in regard to some taxa are given, where appropriate. The presence of illustrations divided into three categories (line drawings, light micrographs and scanning electronic micrographs) in the cited works is indicated as well as the known distribution of the taxa in the Mexican Pacific. The nomenclature is brought up to date, and 193 species and infraspecific taxa are accompanied with original comments. Four new combinations are proposed: Histioneis pieltainii (B. F. Osorio) Okolodkov comb. nov., Latifascia subantarctica (Balech) Okolodkov comb. nov., Peridiniella globosa (P. A. Dang.) Okolodkov comb. nov. and Protoperidinium curtipes (Jörg.) Balech f. asymmetricum (Matzen.) Okolodkov comb. nov. Twentynine nomina nuda were revealed. The leading genera are Protoperidinium (111 species), Ceratium (63) Dinophysis (41), Gonyaulax (25), Oxytoxum (22), Gymnodinium (22), Prorocentrum (21), Alexandrium (17) Ornithocercus (12) and Amphidinium (12). To discover the true dinoflagellate species diversity in the Mexican Pacific, more studies on the athecate Gymnodiniales species, benthic and epiphytic dinoflagellates, the ‘‘Diplopsalis group’’, the genus Protoperidinium and recently described genera of the family Podolampadaceae, are needed.