Taxonomy of Navicula sensu lato (diatom) collected from inland waters in Arctic Canada

Abstract

We identified 35 taxa of Navicula sensu lato in materials from inland waters at Herschel lsland, Smoking Hills, Holman, Byron Bay and Cambridge Bay while sailing across the reverse course of the Northwest Passage in July and August 1997. We found 20 taxa of Navicula, 4 of Chamaepinnularia, 2 each of Craticula and Placoneis, and 1 each taxon of Aneumatus, Caloneis, Fallacia, Naviculadicta, Parlibellus, Pinnuavis, and Sellaphora. The materials contain cosmopolitan species intermingled with subalpine or mountain species and endemic species (Table 1). Although samples were collected from inland waters, brackish or marine species (see Table 1) were mixed with fresh-water species similar to those reported from Antarctica. The occurrence of brackish-water and marine species is though to be made possible by the eolian transport of salt to inland water bodies. We propose the following seven new combinations: Chamaepinnularia soeherensis var. hassiaca, Chamaepinnularia soeherensis var. inflata, Chamaepinnularia soeherensis var. linearis, Chamaepinnularia soeherensis var. muscicola, Placoneis amphibola var. amphibola f. alaskaensis, Placoneis amphibola var. amphibola f. rectangularis, and Placoneis amphibola var. arctica.