DIATOM FLORA OF POLISTOVO-LOWATSKI SPHAGNUM TRACT (EUROPEAN RUSSIA). I. EOLIMNA CHISTIAKOVAE SP. NOV. AND FURTHER TRANSFERS TO THE GENUS EOLIMNA LANGE-BERTALOT & SCHILLER

Abstract

The present paper focuses on diatom taxa inhabiting one of the largest wetland areas of Europe, the Polistovo-Lowatski Sphagnum tract in the European part of Russia. The samples collected in this area revealed numerous rare and new species. Only one is described here as new to science, Eolimna chistiakovae, an apparently acidobiontic, oligotraphentic taxon. Furthermore, nine taxa are transferred from Navicula Bory or Naviculadicta Lange-Bertalot to Eolimna; E. elorantana, E. vekhovii, E. raederae, E. jurafontinalis, E. schaumburgii, E. rotunda, E. submuralis, E. muraloides, and E. utermoehlii based on data from literature. It is also shown that Navicula heufleriana var. septentrionalis Hustedt 1924 sensu Simonsen 1987 conforms to Naviculadicta elorantana Lange-Bertalot and has to be merged in synonymy having no priority at species rank. The characters of the genus Eolimna are discussed in comparison with other genera split from Navicula sensu lato.