Attheya ussurensis sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta)—a new marine diatom from the coastal waters of the Sea of Japan and a reappraisal of the genus

Abstract

I.V. Stonik, T.Yu. Orlova and R.M. Crawford. 2006. Attheya ussurensis sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta)—a new marine diatom from the coastal waters of the Sea of Japan and a reappraisal of the genus. Phycologia 45: 141–147. DOI: 10.2216/04-48.1

A new species of the mainly sand-dwelling marine diatom genus Attheya is described from the Sea of Japan. Of the seven species of the genus, Attheya ussurensis most closely resembles Attheya decora in its valve and girdle structure and in its plastid form and number, but it also possesses features found in one or other of the remaining species (presence of a rimoportula, pores in the girdle bands and horn morphology). Keys are provided to aid ide.gification of all known Attheya species.

Key Words.:

• Attheya
• diatoms
• morphology
• new taxa
• taxonomy

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Prof. D.G. Mann (Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburg) for helpful comments and suggestions that improved the final version. We thank Ms O. Gorelova (Far Eastern State University, Vladivostok) for translating the diagnosis into Latin. The work was supported by a grant from the President of Russia (MK-1420.2003.04) and partly supported by the Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (No. 05-III-Γ-06–129) and a grant ‘Response of marine biota to the environmental and climate changes’.