The epizoic diatom Campylodiscus cf. clypeus (Bacillariophyta: Surirellaceae), a new symbiont of the Caribbean manatee in Mexico

Abstract

Observations on the epizoic interaction between diatoms and marine mammals have been conducted mostly in cetaceans and are scarce in sirenians. By scraping the skin surface, the samples of biofilm were collected of a captive male Caribbean manatee in 2014 in a freshwater lagoon in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The diatom Campylodiscus cf. clypeus was identified, therefore a previously unknown epizoic interaction is inferred.

Keywords

• Diatomea epibionte
• mar Caribe
• mamíferos marinos
• simbiosis
• Sirenia.