Taxonomic studies of the diatom genus Halamphora (Bacillariophyceae) from the mountainous regions of southwest China, including the description of two new species

Abstract

In this study, we describe two new Halamphora species (Halamphora subfontinalis and H. hezhangii) and identify three species newly recorded in China (H. elongata, H. submontana and H. tenella) and two others previously recorded from China (H. montana and H. dusenii), as well as make preliminary observations on three interesting and unnamed Halamphora species. For all ten taxa observations were made using light microscopy and for the new taxa scanning electron microscopical observations were also made. Comparisons of morphological features are made with similar, previously-described taxa. All of these Halamphora species were found in alkaline waters (7.2 < pH < 9.7) in the mountainous regions of southwest China, including Tibet, Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces. In addition, we list in Halamphora twenty taxa previously recorded from China in the genus Amphora, resulting in two new combinations.