Background and Aims:

Phycological studies in the Mexican Atlantic have been aimed at understanding the benthic flora; however, the number of studies on epizoic algae is limited. The objectives of this work were to determine the species richness and composition of epizoic macroalgae for the Mexican Atlantic from data on the snail Stramonita rustica and through an exhaustive search of published phycological literature for the entire region.

Methods:

In 2018, 130 specimens of the gastropod Stramonita rustica were collected at Playa Hermosa, Veracruz, Mexico. A bibliographic review of studies in the Mexican Atlantic until 2024 was also carried out to obtain records of epizoic algae. Taxonomic identification of the phycoflora that grows on this snail was carried out, using external morphological characteristics and cross sections of complete thalli.

Key results:

Based on the literature review and specimens of the mollusk Stramonita rustica, a total of 117 taxa of epizoic algae were recorded in the Mexican Atlantic. These were grouped into 72 genera, 40 families, 21 orders and three divisions. The genera with the highest number of species were Ulva (6), Cladophora (5) and Chaetomorpha (5). At the family level, Rhodomelaceae (16), Cladophoraceae (11) and Ceramiaceae (8) stood out. The orders with the highest species richness were Ceramiales (32), Cladophorales (15) and Bryopsidales (15), which together represent 53% of the total algae recorded. Siphonocladus rigidus is presented as a new record for the coasts of Veracruz.

Conclusions:

The high richness of macroalgae documented in this work demonstrates that living animal substrates are a favorable site for their establishment and development, evidencing the need to elaborate studies that focus on the knowledge of algal epibiosis. In addition, the new record contributes to the knowledge of the biodiversity of the Mexican Atlantic, particularly in Veracruz.

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