Luticola confusa M.Rybak & Czarnota, 2023

Rybak, Mateusz, Czarnota, Pawel & Noga, Teresa, 2023, Study of terrestrial diatoms in corticolous assemblages from deciduous trees in Central Europe with descriptions of two new Luticola D. G. Mann taxa, PhytoKeys 221, pp. 1-40 : 1

Luticola confusa M.Rybak & Czarnota sp. nov.

Fig. 3

Description.

Valves elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate with rounded apices, rectangular in girdle view. Valve length 9-22 µm, and valve width 4.5-5.5 µm. Axial area narrow and linear, central area elliptic bordered by 3-4 areolae. Round isolated pore located halfway between valve center and margin. Raphe branch straight. Proximal raphe endings deflected to site opposite to stigma with small rounded depressions. Distal raphe endings hooked continuing onto valve mantle. Internally raphe slit simple and straight, distal endings form slightly developed helictoglossae. Striae number 20-22 in 10 µm composed mainly of 4 areolae, single row of areolae also present on valve mantle. On apices row of mantle areolae interrupted by distal raphe endings. Internally areolae covered by hymen forming continuous strip, separated by not thickened virgae. Internally small lipped opening of isolated pore visible. Marginal channel located on valve face/mantle junction occluded by hymenes and visible internally.

Type material.

Holotype: Slide SZCZ28845 and unmounted material with the same number stored in A. Witkowski Diatom Collection of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Szczecin, holotype specimen designated here in Fig. 4O .

Isotype: Slide no. 2018/454 and unmounted material with the same number at the University of Rzeszów, Poland.

Type locality.

Stalowa Wola, Podkarpacie Province, Poland, 50°36'13.2"N, 22°02'01.7"E, leg. M. Rybak.

Etymology.

The name refers to possible past confusions in identification of the species described with other small taxa with elliptic-lanceolate valves.

Distribution.

Species observed at all sites studied, always in the form of individual specimens. It mainly occurred in samples taken from the base of the trunks of the trees studied.

Similar species.

Luticola imbricata (W.Bock) Levkov, Metzeltin and Pavlov ( Levkov et al. 2013, p. 134); L. pseudoimbricata Levkov, Metzeltin & Pavlov ( Levkov et al. 2013, p. 134); L. obscura Levkov, Tofilovska, C.E.Wetzel, Mitić-Kopanja & Ector ( Levkov et al. 2017).

Figures

Figure 3. Luticola confusa sp. nov., LM microphotographs of size diminution series (A-X), black frame indicate the holotype specimen. SEM microphotographs (Y-AB), valve in external (Y-AA) and internal view (AB). Scale bars: 10 µm (A-X); 5 µm (Y, Z, AB),

Figure 4. Number of diatom taxa identified during the research on each of the examined trees on each site and value of Eveness index (J') and Shannon index (H'). 1 - 8 number of sampling site.