Abstract
Abstract: Gomphonema Ehrenberg is a genus well represented in periphytic algal flora of epicontinental environments. The substrate colonization is facilitated by the secretion of mucilage by the pore field, allowing cell adhesion. Samples were scraped off and analyzed from vegetative portions of the macrophyte Eichhornia azurea Kunth, collected in São Francisco Falso River, located in Santa Helena City, Paraná State. The sampling occurred in four different sites, in four different periods, totaling 16 samples. The quantitative material analysis resulted in 28 identified taxa, in which Gomphonema brasiliense ssp. pacificum, Gomphonema neoapiculatum Lange-Bertalot, Reichardt & Metzeltin Gomphonema pantropicum Reichardt and Gomphonema perapicatum Metzeltin & Lange-Bertalot represented pioneer citations for Paraná diatomflorula. The ultrastructure observations of some species were crucial to distinguish a few taxa, as Gomphonema brasiliense and Gomphonema brasiliensoide D. Metzeltin, Lange-Bertalot & F. García-Rodríguez. We suggest future studies in this environment, once it has propitious characteristics to the development of epilithic diatoms. Moreover, phylogenetic studies are also recommended for a better distinction of taxa with a wide morphologic variation.
Highlights
In 1832, Ehrenberg proposed the genus Gomphonema, which comprises biraphide heteropolar species, with valves linear to linearlanceolate and apical ends wider than basal ends (Round et al 1990)
Gomphonema individuals are common in haptobenthic communities of epicontinental waters, and can present epipelic, epilithic or epiphytic habit
Most of other existent contributions resulted from foreign floristic papers, or from South-American tropical samples examined by foreign researchers (Metzeltin & Lange-Bertalot 1998, 2007, Metzeltin et al 2005)
Summary
In 1832, Ehrenberg proposed the genus Gomphonema, which comprises biraphide heteropolar species, with valves linear to linearlanceolate and apical ends wider than basal ends (Round et al 1990). Other diatom catalogues as Da Silva et al (2011), accounted 21 species for Center-West Brazilian region, and Tremarin et al (2009b) registered 40 species for Paraná State. In Paraná State, the study about Gomphonema species carried out by Tremarin et al (2009a) in samples collected in Maurício River – Curitiba metropolitan region – stands out, resulting in 19 identified taxa. In São Francisco Falso River, Silva et al (2007) registered 26 Gomphonema species, presenting the occurrence in samples but not providing a taxonomic characterization of the populations or morphometric and meristic data. We conducted a taxonomic study of Gomphonema species found adhered on the macrophyte Eichhornia azurea Kunth, using samples collected in São Francisco Falso River, in Santa Helena City, Paraná, Brazil
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