Abstract

Current occurrence of Nitzschia Hassall from marine and freshwater environment in Malaysia is compiled from current and previously published materials. Phytoplankton was collected using a 20 µm plankton net from waterfronts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Some Nitzschia cells were successfully isolated and established into clonal cultures. For morphology observation, organic matters of the net samples and cultures were oxidized and removed through acid treatment. Cleaned specimens were observed using light and electron microscopes. The morphology of the Nitzschia cells was described and micrographs are included. In addition to current field sampling, Nitzschia spp. records and distributions in Malaysia had also been compiled from secondary data. Sources of references whereby the Nitzschia species were listed in this article were cited accordingly. This article compiles a total of 11 Nitzschia spp. found in Malaysia including a few revisions and new records. This article could serve as an important reference for Nitzschia taxonomic and distributional study particularly in tropical region.Keywords: distribution, morphology, taxonomy, tropical

Highlights

  • Diatoms of the genus Nitzschia Hassall 1845 are highly diversified

  • Micrographs are essential for diatom identification in the genus Nitzschia as this diatom could be mistaken as other diatom species and vice versa

  • Visual interpretations of micrographs are important in Nitzschia species identification

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Summary

Introduction

Diatoms of the genus Nitzschia Hassall 1845 are highly diversified. They represent one of the dominant genera in diatom assemblages (Kaczmarska et al, 1986) comprising both planktonic and benthic species (Lundholm and Moestrup, 2000). There have been very few studies on Nitzschia occurrence and distributions in Malaysian water. This pennate diatom has important roles as one of the primary producers in aquatic ecosystem, water quality bioindicators (Wan-Maznah and Mansor, 2002; Trobajo et al, 2009) and as live feeds in aquaculture farms due to its richness in fatty acids (Chu et al, 1996; Shi et al, 2008). It is more preferable to document the descriptions of Nitzschia spp. with inclusion of its micrographs

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