Five new species of the genus Humidophila (Bacillariophyta) from the Maritime Antarctic Region

Abstract

Five unknown taxa belonging to the newly established genus Humidophila were found during ongoing taxonomic revision of the freshwater and limno-terrestrial diatom flora of the Maritime Antarctic Region. These taxa were previously identified as Diadesmis arcuata, D. biscutella, D. comperei and D. ingeae, but detailed light and scanning electron microscopy observations allowed their clear separation from the already known taxa, and resulted in the description of five new species: Humidophila sceppacuerciae Kopalová sp. nov., H. australoshetlandica Kopalová, Zidarova & Van de Vijver sp. nov., H. keiliorum Kopalová sp. nov., H. deceptionensis Kopalová, Zidarova & Van de Vijver sp. nov. and H. vojtajarosikii Kopalová sp. nov. All five new taxa are compared with the morphologically most similar taxa, and their ecology and biogeography are discussed. Although the genus Humidophila is present worldwide, a large number of Humidophila taxa have a restricted distribution within the (sub-)Antarctic Region, showing a clear bioregionalism.

Keywords:

• Humidophila
• Bacillariophyta
• Maritime Antarctic Region
• new species
• taxonomy

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported as a long-term research development project RVO no. 67985939 and GA UK grant nr. 394211. Samples on Byers Peninsula were taken in the framework of the IPY-Limnopolar Project POL2006-06635 (Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología, Spain). Sampling and/or observations on Deception Island, King George Island and Nelson Island were done within ДМУ 03–63 (Bulgarian Science Fund). Sampling on Deception Island was made possible with the support of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute. Dr. Blagoy Uzunov (University of Sofia) and the staff of ‘Decepción’ Base on Deception Island are thanked for their help during the field work. Part of this research was funded within the FWO project G.0533.07 and by the BELSPO project CCAMBIO. Dr. Alex Ball and the staff of the EMMA laboratory at the Natural History Museum are thanked for their help with the scanning electron microscopy.