Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2018-06-07
Page range: 247–263
Abstract views: 30
PDF downloaded: 2

Cyclotella petenensis and Cyclotella cassandrae, two new fossil diatoms from Pleistocene sediments of Lake Petén-Itzá, Guatemala, Central America

Centre Européen Recherche Enseignement Géosciences Environnement, UAM-CNRS-IRD Europole de l'Arbois BP 80 13545 Aix-en-Provence
Centre Européen Recherche Enseignement Géosciences Environnement, UAM-CNRS-IRD Europole de l'Arbois BP 80 13545 Aix-en-Provence
Universidad del Norte, Km 5 Via Puerto Colombia, Atlantico, Colombia Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, Republic of Panamá
Aix-Marseille Université, Fédération de Chimie, PRATIM , 3 Place Victor Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France
7 Institute of Chemistry, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, D-14476 Potsdam, Germany
Centre Européen Recherche Enseignement Géosciences Environnement, UAM-CNRS-IRD Europole de l'Arbois BP 80 13545 Aix-en-Provence
Diatom Cyclotella Pleistocene Lake Petén-Itzá Guatemala Algae

Abstract

While analyzing the fossil diatom flora in one of the longest paleolimnological records (core PI-6) from Lake Petén-Itzá, lowland Guatemala, we encountered Aulacoseira Thwaites, Cyclotella (Kützing) and Discostella (Cleve & Grunow) Houk & Klee species appearing successively in the record. Among them, two new species that are assigned to the genus Cyclotella are described herein. Cyclotella petenensis sp. nov. is characterised by a coarse striation marked by a shadow line and a tangentially undulate central area with an arc of central fultoportulae. Cyclotella cassandrae sp. nov. has an elliptically shaped valve, coarse striae and a scattered ring of central fultoportulae in the central area. Classification and differences to similar taxa in the genus Cyclotella are discussed.