Abstract
Four taxa belonging to the complex of species around Achnanthidium minutissimum were found during the ongoing taxonomic revision of the Antarctic freshwater and limno-terrestrial diatom flora. Two taxa were previously described as Achnanthidium lailae and A. sieminskae. Two others were formerly identified as A. minutissimum but detailed light and scanning electron microscopical observations revealed sufficient morphological differences compared to the type of A. minutissimum, to justify their separation and description as new taxa: Achnanthidium indistinctum and A. maritimo-antarcticum. The morphology and ecology of all four taxa are discussed comparing the species with morphologically similar taxa. The biogeographical consequences of the splitting of the former A. minutissimum complex in the Antarctic Region are discussed.
Highlights
Based on the list of all published diatom records (40 entries) from the Antarctic Region in Kellogg & Kellogg (2002), Achnanthes minutissima Kütz. (Kützing 1833) is one of the most commonly observed diatom taxa in theAntarctic Region
To the revision of the European and North American Achnanthidium minutissimum complex, several Antarctic populations have been re-investigated which resulted in the separation of two new species with a purely Antarctic distribution
The only way to find out would be the analysis of the living material which was no longer available at the time of their publication. We reported this taxon from a large number of purely freshwater habitats ranging from small pools to larger lakes and even streams from all sub-Antarctic islands in both the Indian and Atlantic Ocean (Van de Vijver & Beyens 1996; Van de Vijver et al 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008)
Summary
Based on the list of all published diatom records (40 entries) from the Antarctic Region in Kellogg & Kellogg (2002), Achnanthes minutissima Kütz. (Kützing 1833) is one of the most commonly observed diatom taxa in the (sub-)Antarctic Region. Based on the list of all published diatom records (40 entries) from the Antarctic Region in Kellogg & Kellogg (2002), Achnanthes minutissima Kütz. The species often forms large populations on the sub-Antarctic islands, dominating the aquatic diatom communities in lakes and pools (Van de Vijver et al 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008). Since 2009, more than 15 new Achnanthidium species have been described such as A. caravelense Novais & Ector (Novais et al 2011), A. acerosum Van de Vijver, Lange-Bert. To the revision of the European and North American Achnanthidium minutissimum complex, several Antarctic populations have been re-investigated which resulted in the separation of two new species with a purely Antarctic distribution. Achnanthidium sieminskae Witkowski, Kulikovskiy & Riaux-Gobin (Witkowski et al 2012) was described from the sub-Antarctic Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean
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