Ctenophora pulchella var. smithii (Ralfs in A.Pritch.) H.Schönf.

Williams, David M. & Vijver, Bart Van De, 2023, The diatom genus Ctenophora: A discussion on its morphology, relationships, and some species, Phytotaxa 632 (1), pp. 1-26 : 17

Ctenophora pulchella var. smithii (Ralfs in A.Pritch.) H.Schönf. 1907: 104, 248, invalid = ??

Basionym: Synedra smithii Ralfs in A.Pritch. 1861: 786

non S. smithii O’Meara 1875: 313 , pl. 28, fig. 42

A brief description, attributed to Ralfs, was given in Pritchard, which included vague locality details and the opinion that it is Synedra acicularis W. Sm. (1853: 70, pl. 11, fig. 86, see Fig. 58 ): ‘Frustules irregularly affixed; valves lanceolate, acute, with 36 very faint striae in. 001.” = Synedra acicularis, SBD. i. p. 70, pl. 11. f. 86. Brackish water. England’ (Pritchard 1861: 786). Smith’s Synedra acicularis (non Synedra acicularis Kütz. 1844: 63 , which is a species of Nitzschia Hassall ) is very likely another species of Ctenophora as has been previously recognised by O’Meara (1876: 304, as Synedra pulchella var. acicularis ) and West & West 1901: 196, also as Synedra pulchella var. acicularis ) (Van de Vijver pers. obs). A few slides in BM may be of original Ralfs’ material.

Figures

FIGURES 53–59: Ctenophora vertebra. Fig. 53, reproduction of drawing for Synedra vertebra Gregory (1855: pl. 4, fig. 22); Figs 54–57, LM micrographs of C. vertebra, BM 24988, ‘lacustrine sands, Glenshira,near Inverary,Scotland’.Scale bar = 10μm; Fig. 58, reproduction of Synedra acicularis W.Sm. (1853: 70, pl. 11, fig. 86; Fig. 59, reproduction of Synedra socialis Rabenh. (1853: 56, pl. 4, fig. 22).