Abstract
The genus Punctastriata D.M.Williams & Round (1988: 278) contains 10 species that are difficult to identify under light microscopy (LM) (Wetzel & Ector 2021, Morales et al. 2021). The difficulty lies in the differentiation of the overall valve outline and striation pattern of these species from members of Staurosirella D.M.Williams & Round (1988: 274). Under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the striae of species of Punctastriata are typically multiseriate, the consequence of a profuse formation of viminules. In Staurosirella, the striae are composed of long and slender vimines delimiting apically oriented lineolae (Morales et al. 2021), while the production of viminules is incomplete and rare (Morales 2005).
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