Ferocia Van de Vijver & Houk, 2017

Vijver, Bart Van De, Chattová, Barbora, Lebouvier, Marc & Houk, Václav, 2017, Ferocia gen. nov., a new centric diatom genus (Bacillariophyceae) from the sub-Antarctic region, Phytotaxa 332 (1), pp. 22-30 : 23

Ferocia Van de Vijver & Houk , gen. nov.

Frustules heavily silicified, cylindrical, ellipsoid to often spherical, connected by large, complex spines forming long chains. Valve structure usually very fine, rarely discernible in LM. Valves hemispherical to dome-shaped with a high mantle, often thickened near the mantle edge. Granules and a combination of large and numerous small spines, scattered all over the valve face and parts of the mantle, present. Areolae rounded to irregularly shaped, covered by an external velum. Numerous small rimoportulae forming a marginal ring near the mantle edge. Fultoportulae absent.

Cingulum composed of a large number of narrow, open copulae with a fimbriate pars interior. Internal valves sometimes present. Numerous small chloroplasts present.

Type:— Ferocia setosa (Greville) Van de Vijver & Houk (vide infra).

Etymology:—the new genus name Ferocia is derived from the Latin word ferox which means fierce, referring to the spiny outlook of the composing taxa.