Rhodolith Diversity in Panama: A Baseline for Future Research and Conservation Actions

Rhodoliths are calcareous red algae considered indicators of ocean acidification and key biodiversity hotspots due to their ability to host a variety of species within their three-dimensional structures. This work aims to review the available scientific literature on rhodolith-forming species: reports from literature, the Symbiota digital taxonomic inventory, field observations, and nucleotide databases. A total of 21 species is reported, predominantly from the Corallinaceae family and the Lithophylloideae subfamily. Rhodoliths have been reported in Bocas del Toro, the Gulf of Chiriqui, Coiba National Park (PNC), the Gulf of Panama, and at the Las Perlas Archipelago. This review represents the first step in raising awareness about the presence of these organisms along Panama’s coast and advocating for their inclusion in the management plans of protected areas, such as PNC, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where rhodoliths are not yet part of the recorded algae species list or the park’s conservation targets, despite their ecological relevance. Knowledge remains limited, and their conservation status is uncertain, but the increasing sampling efforts and integration of morphological and molecular studies will open new opportunities to improve the estimation of rhodolith diversity in Panama.