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New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

A comparison of the morphology and ultrastructure of the diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) Discostella stelligera and D. elentarii from two lakes in Fiordland, New Zealand

J.M. Knapp1, 2
P .C. Furey1
R .L. Lowe1,3

1 Department of Biological Sciences
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green
OH 43403–0218, United States
email: jmknapp@umich.edu
2 School of Natural Resources and Environment
University of Michigan
440 Church St, Ann Arbor
MI 48109, United States
3 University of Michigan Biological Station
Pellston
MI 49769, United States

Abstract Morphological and ultrastructural variability of the diatoms, Discostella stelligera and Discostella elentarii, were examined from lakes Te Anau and Manapouri, located in Fiordland on the South Island of New Zealand. The objectives of this study were to examine and compare the size variability, frustule morphology, and ultrastructural detail of these taxa, which were recently collected from locations of a different origin than the type localities. To support the current descriptions of the newly erected genus of Discostella and recently described species, D. elentarii, information on morphological characteristics across valve patterns was compared. A principal components analysis of the external valve features of D. stelligera and D. elentarii measured by light microscopy did not separate the two taxa. This close similarity in external morphology highlights the need to optically dissect the valves underneath the light microscope to clearly differentiate between the convex/concave nature of the D. stelligera valves compared with the flat valve of D. elentarii. New external and internal morphological details of D. elentarii were documented with a field emission scanning electron microscope.

Keywords Cyclotella; Discostella stelligera; D. elentarii; diatoms; field emission microscope; Lake Te Anau; Lake Manapouri; New Zealand; morphology; ultrastructure

M05069; Online publication date 14 July 2006. Received 1 November 2005; accepted 9 June 2006
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2006, Vol. 40: 429–438
0028–8330/06/4003–0429 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006

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