Caulerpa chemnitzia (Esper) J.V. Lamouroux 1809a: 332

Fernández-García, Cindy, Wysor, Brian, Riosmena-Rodríguez, Rafael, Salamanca, Enrique Peña- & Verbruggen, Heroen, 2016, DNA-assisted identification of Caulerpa (Caulerpaceae, Chlorophyta) reduces species richness estimates for the Eastern Tropical Pacific, Phytotaxa 252 (3), pp. 185-204 : 194-196

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.252.3.2
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scientific name	Caulerpa chemnitzia (Esper) J.V. Lamouroux 1809a: 332
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Caulerpa chemnitzia (Esper) J.V. Lamouroux 1809a: 332 View in CoL (Figures 5,6)

Type Locality: −Malabar Coast, India.

Heterotypic synomyms: − Caulerpa peltata Lamouroux , C. laetevirens Montagne , C. racemosa var. laetevirens (Montagne) Weber-van Bosse, C. vanbosseae Setchell & N.L.Gardner , C. racemosa var. peltata (J.V. Lamouroux) Eubank. C. racemosa var. turbinata (J. Agardh) Eubank , C. racemosa var. occidentalis (J. Agardh) Børgesen

Mis-identifications: C. racemosa (Forsskål) J. Agardh sensu Avilés & Canjura (1979) , Schnetter & Bula-Meyer (1982), Fernández & Alvarado (2008), Bernecker & Wehrtmann (2009).

Description: −This is the most common and widespread Caulerpa species along the ETP ( Figure 3 View FIGURE 3 ). It exhibits considerable morphological plasticity, which might enhance its potential to colonize different habitats ( Calvert 1976, Ohba & Enomoto 1987, Ohba et al. 1992). Assimilators can be disc-like (single or branched), clavate, pyriform and thread-like, varying from (0.1–) 0.7–0.8 (–2.4) cm high and (1.1–) 3.0–3.2 (–6.9) mm wide. Stolons are (0.3–) 1.1–1.3 (–3.3) mm in diameter.

Distribution in the ETP: − Mexico: Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Isla Revillagigedo, El Salvador: Sonsonate, La Libertad, La Unión, Nicaragua: León, Rivas, Costa Rica: Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Isla del Coco, Panama: Golfo de Chiriquí, Golfo de Panama, Colombia: Bahía Málaga (Chocó), Isla Gorgona, Ecuador: Esmeraldas, Islas Galápagos, France: Clipperton Island. C. chemnitzia was found in most of the intertidal and subtidal rocky sites sampled during this study. It is possible that these factors favor the wide distribution of C. chemnitzia in the ETP and its different morphologies. At the same time it is interesting to point out that although Caribbean and Pacific sequenced specimens of C. chemnitzia are nested, the Pacific lineage receives maximal support (1.0) ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 ). Specimens from both coasts of Panama, which was one of the last sections of the Central America Isthmus to emerge, separate into different groups. This might be suggesting a recent subdivision of populations of this species between the ocean basins.

References: − Taylor 1945, Dawson 1957, Earle 1972, Avilés & Canjura 1979, Gutiérrez 1985, Glynn 1990, Glynn & Maté 1997, Tejada, 2003, 2007, Wysor 2004, Pedroche et al. 2005, Fernández & Alvarado 2008, Bernecker & Wehrtmann 2009.

Nomenclature: We adopt the “ecad” concept to recognize different morphologies within C. cheminitzia , which are elaborated below. Ecads vary from thread-like fronds (i.e. C. chemnitzia ecad vanbosseae ), to clavate (i.e. C. chemnitzia ecad laetevirens ) and disc-like (i.e. C. chemnitzia ecad peltata ) fronds. These morphological variations might be an important determinant for enhancing the distribution of algal species ( Collado-Vides & Robledo 1999, Leliaert et al. 2009, Price 2011).

Caulerpa chemnitzia View in CoL ecad intermedia ( Figure 5 A,B View FIGURE 5 )

Description: −Transitional form between C. chemnitzia ecad peltata and ecad laetevirens . Fronds branched, not flat but somewhat convex and the stipe is not broadly conical making a transition to the disc-like fronds. Often crowded, creeping, forming dense mats and covering a large surface of the substratum. Fronds (0.1–) 0.6–0.7 (–1.7) cm high, (1.1–) 2.7–2.9 (–5.1) mm wide. Stolons creeping, (0.6–) 1.2–1.3 (–2.0) mm diameter.

Habitat: −attached to rocky and dead coral substratum, intertidal to 10 m.

Other remarks: very common througout the ETP.

Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad laetevirens ( Figure 5 C,D View FIGURE 5 )

Description: −Thallus erect or creeping, crowded, often forming dense mats. Fronds clavate or pyriform with regularly rounded apices, occasionally mushroom-shaped, (0.1–) 1.0–1.2 (–2.5) cm high, (1.1–) 3.4–3.5 (–6.9) mm wide. Stolons creeping (0.7–) 1.4–1.6 (–3.0) mm diameter.

Habitat: −attached to rock and dead coral, mainly intertidal but occurs subtidally to 3 m deep.

Other remarks: −Especially adapted to live in shallow waters, with high light intensity ( Ohba & Enomoto 1987, Ohba et al. 1992).

Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad peltata ( Figure 6 A–D View FIGURE 6 )

Description: −Thallus prostrate, solitary or clustered, frequently forming dense mats. Complete thallus with flattened peltate disc-like assimilators, (0.1–) 0.4–0.5 (–2.2) cm high, (1.1–) 2.9–3.0 (–5.9) mm wide. When branched ( Figure 6 C,D View FIGURE 6 ), branches are placed up along the main axis, turning flat discs upwards. Stolons creeping, (0.3–) 0.9–1.1 (–3.3) mm diameter.

Habitat: −attached to rocky and dead coral substratum, between 2 and 13 m deep, more common between 3–6 m deep, rarely intertidal.

Other remarks: −Sometimes forming dense patches on rocks or dead coral. According to experimental studies the peltata type assimilators are formed at low-light intensity ( Ohba & Enomoto 1992), which is correlated with the observations that this morphology was mainly found (but not restricted) in subtidal environments. This is the most common ecad that can be found in the ETP.

Caulerpa chemnitzia ecad vanbosseae ( Figure 6 E,F View FIGURE 6 )

Description: −Forming dense masses. Cylindrical thread-like fronds, pinnula filiform ( Figure 5 F View FIGURE 5 ) up to 2 cm high, branching subdichotomous, pinnula with short branches spine-like horizontal stolons of more or less similar diameter, 0.4–1 mm diameter.

Habitat: −attached to rocky and dead coral substratum.

Other remarks: − Caulerpa vanbosseae was described by Setchell & Gardner (1924), and is known only from the Gulf of California. According to our results this species is part of the C. chemnitzia complex ( Figure 2 View FIGURE 2 ). It seems that the typical disc-like or clavate fronds are reduced; this can be the effect of particular environmental conditions of Gulf of California, such as seasonal temperature variation (temperatures can drop to 8–12° C during the winter and rise to 30° C during the summer, Lluch-Cota et al. 2007) and/or light intensity. We find it is interesting that this ecad is not more common at the ETP, considering that it survives large seasonal variations in temperature .