Jackson Estuarine Laboratory
Halophilia ovalis in the tropical Atlantic Ocean
Abstract
A species of seagrass in the genus Halophila was found growing in a shallow lagoon on the west shore of Antigua in the Caribbean West Indies. Genetic analysis showed the plants were Halophila ovalis. In addition, the samples had no genetic deviation (using nrDNA sequences) from Halophila johnsonii, considered to be an endemic and endangered species in Florida, USA. Morphological analysis demonstrated the Antiguan Halophila to be well within the range of plant characteristics previously described in the literature for H. ovalis, except for leaf width and number of seeds per fruit, and again, not different from H. johnsonii and very closely related to H. ovalis from the Indo-Pacific. Ours is the first report of H. ovalis in the Tropical Atlantic bioregion.
Publication Date
10-1-2010
Journal Title
Aquatic Botany
Publisher
Elsevier
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Short,F.T., G.E.Moore and K.A.Peyton. 2010. Halophilia ovalis in the tropical Atlantic Ocean. Aquatic Botany. Volume 93, Issue 3, Pages 141-146.