Validation of 42 names of diatom taxa from the Baltic Sea

Abstract

In 1959 and 1960, R. Simonsen described one genus, forty-three species, a variety and one forma of diatoms from the German Baltic coast, although he omitted to typify them formally. Forty-two of these taxa are validated here. Several of the illegitimate names have been used in combination with other taxa in the interim, but the consequent combination of the valid names has been left to the relevant authors to make.

Keywords:

• names
• Baltic Sea diatoms
• validation

Acknowledgements

Late in 2009 Reimer Simonsen was surprised by his former technical assistant, Friedel Hinz, and by his successor as curator, Richard M. Crawford, to receive the outline for the present paper, the type specimens with slide numbers and finder positions being compiled by Hinz and also including many taxonomic and nomenclatural notes of changes that had occurred during the last half century. For Simonsen the task remained to confirm formally the typification of those names not considered superfluous by comparing them with his old notes and micrographs made before 1959. For Simonsen also remained the pleasure to write this paragraph in order to express his deepest gratitude to these two persons without whom the Baltic Sea diatom names would have remained invalid, to say nothing about the great merits both earned with their care of the Friedrich-Hustedt-Centre. We also gratefully acknowledge the detailed and constructive criticism of two referees.