Frustulia curvata and Frustulia paulii, two diatom species new to science

Abstract

During studies of the diversity of the diatom genus Frustulia in Europe and New Zealand we recognized two species that did not fit any existing description. These species are described in this paper as F. curvata sp. nov. and F. paulii sp. nov. based on examinations of the morphology of natural populations and isolated strains. A combination of morphological features enables discrimination of F. paulii and F. curvata from previously described taxa. Frustulia curvata was found at a single locality in Ireland and is probably rare. Frustulia paulii has been identified from wetland pools in both the South and North Islands of New Zealand. The two new species are compared with similar taxa and our current knowledge of their ecology and distribution is discussed. These formal descriptions complement the results of a separate study of the molecular diversity of the genus Frustulia, which confirmed distinct lineages for both species. GenBank entries for published sequences are included in the descriptions. In the future, both frustule morphology and DNA sequences can be used to test presence of these species elsewhere in the world and examine their ecology and distribution in detail.

Keywords:

• Bacillariophyceae
• Europe
• Frustulia
• New Zealand
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

The study was supported by the Czech Science Foundation project no. P506-13-07210P, the Charles University Science Foundation Project B-Bio 918513 and by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (now Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment) through contract C01X0017.