Abstract

RAMOS-SANTIAGO, Ana E.; LEYVA-VALENCIA, Ignacio; OKOLODKOV, Yuri B.  and  BAND-SCHMIDT, Christine J.. Morphological and molecular characterization of the free-living Symbiodinium natans-clade A (Dinophyceae) from Bahía de La Paz, Gulf of California. Cienc. mar [online]. 2025, vol.51, e3498.  Epub Apr 04, 2025. ISSN 0185-3880.  https://doi.org/10.7773/cm.y2025.3498.

The genus Symbiodinium is a group of mostly endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, commonly known as zooxanthellae, which live in association with marine invertebrates and protists. The objective of the present study was the morphological and molecular identification of 2 strains of Symbiodiniales (SNCETMAR-1 and SNCETMAR-2) isolated from the anemone Actinostella sp. from Bahía de La Paz, Gulf of California. Culture identification was conducted via photomicroscopy, including epifluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. A sequence of the SNCETMAR-2 strain was obtained from the 28S rDNA region. The combination of methods allowed the strains to be identified as Symbiodinium natans-clade A. This taxon is a group of endosymbiotic and free-living organisms, which facilitated the cultivation of the strains in the laboratory. The life cycle of this group presented 2 phases, a motile and a non-motile phase in the coccoid state, the last stage where both sexual and asexual division occur. This study extends the reports of clade A of the family Symbiodiniaceae in the Gulf of California and provides valuable information for its culture, identification, and phylogenetic analysis.

Keywords : Actinostella; endosymbiont; Gulf of California; life stages; Symbiodinium; zooxanthellae.

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