Original paper
Observations on two taxa of the section Nitzschiae Lanceolatae (Bacillariophyceae): Nitzschia blankaartensis sp. nov. and N. bulnheimiana
Denys, Luc; Lange-Bertalot, Horst
Nova Hedwigia Band 67 Heft 1-2 (1998), p. 247 - 258
15 references
published: Sep 28, 1998
DOI: 10.1127/nova.hedwigia/67/1998/247
ArtNo. ESP050006701018, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
A new freshwater diatom, Nitzschia blankaartensis, is described from shallow stagnant waters in Belgium and The Netherlands. The species belongs to a larger group of taxa with linear valves and more distantly placed central fibulae which often present identification problems. Although it can be distinguished from most other species in the light microscope by its valve shape and dimensions as well as structural details, it can be separated from N. hantzschiana only by the single rows of areolae at the keel, the lower number of transapical costae connected to each fibula and its ecological distribution. Differences with several similar species are discussed. As inferred from contemporary and palaeolimnological observations, the species seems to thrive best in polluted waters with a high content of electrolytes. Electron microscopical observations on Nitzschia frustulum var. bulnheimiana from Bad Nauheim (Germany) indicate that its raphe structure and areolation differ from that of N. frustulum, inclusive of N. inconspicua. Therefore, this taxon should again be considered as a separate species: N. bulnheimiana.
Keywords
freshwater diatom • Belgium • The Netherlands • fibulae