Seven new species in Navicula sensu stricto from the Northern Great Plains and Northern Rocky Mountains
Bahls LL. 2012. Seven new species in Navicula sensu stricto from the Northern Great Plains and Northern Rocky Mountains. Nova Hedwigia (Stuttgart, Germany). 141:19-38
Seven new species of diatoms are described, mainly found in Montana. The Northwest region of the contiguous United States is the least populated, least studied (for diatoms), most pristine, and arguably the most ecologically varied quarter of the country. Navicula, the most species-rich genus of the region, accounts for 209 of the 1368 taxa recorded from the region to date. Seven new species of Navicula sensu stricto are described here from among 70 unknowns. Five of the new species are assigned to Section Navicula and two are assigned to Section Alinea. SEM images are provided for three of the new species, but all of the new species can be distinguished by features that are visible in LM alone. The new taxa are mainly from Montana, but they also occur in Idaho and southern Alberta, Canada. They reside in streams and lakes in two major physiographic provinces: The Northwestern Great Plains and the Northern Rocky Mountains. Because the Northwest is such a large and relatively undeveloped area and includes a wide range of unexplored habitats and ecological conditions, the region may be expected to yield many more new diatom species in the future.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Bahls, Loren
- Units
- GLAC
- Keywords
- Aquatic Studies, Diatoms, Montana Diatom Collection, Navicula