Germainiella sinica Kociolek, You, R.Lowe & Q.Wang, 2019

Kociolek, J. P., You, Q. M., Lou, F., P. Yu, Lowe, R. L. & Wang, Q. X., 2019, First Report and New Freshwater Species of Germainiella (Bacillariophyta) from the Maolan Nature Reserve, Guizhou Province, China, Phytotaxa 393 (1), pp. 35-46 : 39-40

Germainiella sinica Kociolek, You, R.Lowe & Q.Wang , sp. nov.

Figures 24–49.

Description: Valves capsule-shaped apices rounded, not protracted. Length 12–24 μm, breadth 3.5–4.0 μm. Axial area narrow, central area a small rectangle, raphe filiform, faint, with external proximal raphe ends dilated slightly, external distal ends hooked in the same direction. Striae faintly radiate, 37–39/10 μm, evident mostly at the margin, individual puncta not visible.

In the SEM (Figs 38–49), externally valves are shown to be covered by a wide conopeum. No striae or small depressions are evident on the valve face, except next to the raphe system. Fine narrow openings are oriented perpendicular to the raphe slit and run to the terminus of the valve (Figs 37–41). The raphe is filiform, with external proximal ends straight and the distal ends hooked in the same direction (Figs 37, 39). There are no siliceous struts evident running perpendicular to the raphe in unbroken valves. A longitudinal opening where the conopeum ends is present at or near the valve margin running nearly the entire length of the valve (Figs 38, 39, 41, 44–46). Internally the valve has striae composed of rounded pores, separated by robust virgae (Figs 40, 41). Striae continue from the valve face to the mantle, narrowly separated by an unornamented area at the valve face:mantle junction (Figs 42, 43). Proximal raphe ends are deflected slightly in the same direction (Fig. 43). Distally, the raphe terminates in a helictoglossa at each apex (Fig. 42).

A view of the external valve face shows that it is covered with small granules (Figs 44–49), and striae are evident (Fig. 50). There is a wide space between the conopeum and the valve (Figs 48, 49). In broken valves, it is clear that small siliceous struts are visible along the raphe slit (Figs 48, 49). Girdle bands are numerous and of the open type (Figs 44–46).

Type: CHINA. Guizhou Province: Maolan Nature Reserve, 25 o 15′42” N, 108 o 04′13” E, The new species was found in mixed samples of benthos, roots and scrapings from rocks from a tree-lined stream, collected by Q-X. Wang & J.P. Kociolek, 4 October 2015 (holotype: SHTU! slide and material GZ-1510081, Biology Department Diatom Herbarium, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China, here illustrated as Fig. 27; isotype: COLO! material 10419, Kociolek Collection, University of Colorado, Museum of Natural History Diatom Herbarium , Boulder, USA) .

Etymology: Named for the species being found in China.

Distribution: Observed in both samples 72 and 81 from Guizhou.

Remarks: This taxon appears to have been reported previously as “ Navicula pelliculosa ” with hesitation by Erhlich (1995, plate 22); the individuals from Israel are the same size as the Chinese population and quite different from N. pelliculosa , as described by Rabenhorst (1864).