New and interesting diatoms from Tibet: I. Description of a new species of Clipeoparvus Woodbridge et al.

Abstract

We present light and scanning electron microscopical observations on frustules of a new species of Clipeoparvus Woodbridge et al. from Tibet. Cells are small, lens-shaped to conical, have internally occluded areolae and lack any processes. The Tibetan species differs from Clipeoparvus anatolicus Woodbridge, E.J. Cox & Roberts, the only other known species of the genus described from Turkey, by the number, size and structure of the spines on the valve face. Two morphs were encountered, one bearing spines and the other without spines, and they can occur separately or in the same frustule. This phenomenon may be an example of Janus cells within this taxon. The biogeographic distribution of this taxon is discussed.

Keywords:

• Clipeoparvus
• Bacillariophyta
• Tibet
• freshwater
• biogeography
• Janus cells
• diatoms

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Jie Wang and Bo Li for their help with the collection of samples in the field and Pan Yu for his help in acquiring SEM images.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the One-hundred Telent Program of Shanxi Province; National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 31600166]; the Shanxi “1331 Project” Key Innovative Research Team Program of Shanxi.