http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-6385
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Abstract
The diatoms of the genus Pseudo-nitzschia are of special interest due to their capacity to produce domoic acid, which is responsible for amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in humans. Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that can cause devastating effects in the food web, especially in seabirds and marine mammals. Identification of Pseudo-nitzschia species is challenging since the morphological differences are difficult to distinguish in the light microscope, and even in SEM or TEM. In recent years, new molecular biology methods have been developed that allow us to differentiate between pseudo-cryptic or cryptic species. In this study, a new pseudo-cryptic taxon is described within the Pseudo-nitzschia/pseudodelicatissima complex, as a variety of P. cuspidata. Subtle morphological differences were found among our strains of P. cuspidata and other previously described strains of the P. pseudodelicatissima/cuspidata complex with respect to the poroids of the valvocopula. These differences were supported by phylogenetic analyses of ITS rDNA sequences. The existence of hemi-compensatory base changes in some of the strains indicates the presence of a separate clade, which is described as a new variety of P. cuspidata group. Domoic acid was not detected in the strains investigated in this study.
Acknowledgements
We thank J. Reyes Gomez and D. Pozas Zepeda for the microphotography and assistance with the SEM. We also thank the Universidad de Colima, especially to Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Centro de Universitario de Investigaciones Oceanológicas and Facultad de Ciencias Químicas for the use of its equipment and facilities during the development of this project. We also thank an anonymous reviewer for comments to improve the manuscript. This study was supported by the grant 226165 from CONACYT as well as by a CONACYT scholarship to M. Rivera-Vilarelle during her postgraduate studies, this work formed part of her PhD Project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
ORCID
María Rivera-Vilarelle http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-6385
Laura Leticia Valdez-Velázquez http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8474-1495
Sonia Isabel Quijano-Scheggia http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1499-8337
Supplemental data
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2018.1426633