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Using a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S) and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene sequences, the biodiversity and phylogenetic relationships of the brine shrimp Artemia from tropical salterns of southern México (four sites in the Yucatán Peninsula, one site each in the states of Oaxaca and Campeche), and two sites in Cuba were examined. The Mexican populations showed genetic distances of 0-0.43 among themselves and 0.0298-0.0324 with the Cuban populations. Eight haplotypes (16S + COI) were identified from the studied populations, one for the Cuban populations and seven for the Mexican populations. Phylogenetic analyses of these haplotypes indicate that Artemia from these salterns are separated into two well-differentiated clades, one constituted by the Mexican populations and another by the Cuban populations of A. franciscana, suggesting that Artemia populations of Mexico are native and the Cuban are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]