Occurrence of Ostreopsis lenticularis (Dinophyceae: Gonyaulacales) from the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, Mexican Pacific

Highlights: • Ostreopsis lenticularis is a dinoflagellate broadly distributed in the Archipelago. • The two types of pores of different sizes are a feature for identifying this species. • This species was found from surface waters at a distance of 50–100 m from coastline. • On a global scale, O. lenticularis has a tropical neritic-oceanic distribution. - Abstract: From December 2016 to May 2017, 22 phytoplankton surface samples were collected with a 20-μm mesh net at three islands of the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo (Partida, Socorro and San Benedicto), Mexican Pacific. The sites depth was approximately 20–80 m; the surface water temperature was 21–27 °C. The potentially toxic benthic dinoflagellate Ostreopsis lenticularis was present in all the samples. Cells had a lenticular to broadly oval shape, 65–100 μm long and 50–80 μm wide. The taxonomy of the genus Ostreopsis has been unclear due to equivocal ascribing some taxonomic features among species. The identification of specimens from the archipelago was made based on the most important taxonomic characteristics: the thecal plates, the presence of two types of thecal pores (larger and smaller), and the lack of cingulum undulation. The studied cells are compared with O. cf. siamensis, O. labens and O. marina. This is the first record of the species in the archipelago waters.