Poulinea Majewska, De Stefano & Van de Vijver, 2015

Majewska, Roksana, Kociolek, J. P., Thomas, Evan W., Stefano, Mario De, Santoro, Mario, Bolaños, Federico & Vijver, Bart Van De, 2015, Chelonicola and Poulinea, two new gomphonemoid diatom genera (Bacillariophyta) living on marine turtles from Costa Rica, Phytotaxa 233 (3), pp. 236-250 : 243

Poulinea Majewska, De Stefano & Van de Vijver , gen. nov.

Frustules wedge-shaped to rectangular in girdle view. One valve typically concave while other straight. Girdle composed of a large number (>10) of open, perforated bands of different width with occasionally two irregular rows of poroids. Valvocopula bearing a septum at the headpole and the second copula with a septum at the footpole. Valves heteropolar with a broadly rounded headpole and a more acutely rounded footpole. Pseudosepta absent. Apical pore field absent but several more closely-spaced areolae surrounding the distal raphe endings. Raphe straight to very weakly curving. Raphe branch in the headpole shorter than in the footpole. Proximal raphe endings straight to weakly unilaterally deflected. External distal raphe fissures elongated, deflected, located in a shallow groove, covered by a large silica flap extending from both valve apices. Internal proximal raphe endings covered by a silica flap and distal raphe endings straight, terminating on weakly developed helictoglossae. Striae uniseriate, composed of two elongated areolae, clearly separated by the valve face/mantle junction. Areolae occluded in the areolar canal by hymenes.

Type:— Poulinea lepidochelicola Majewska, De Stefano & Van de Vijver , sp. nov.

Etymology:—The genus is named in honour of our colleague and dear friend Dr. Michel Poulin (Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada) in recognition of his important research on marine diatoms.