Description of the Soil Diatom <i>Sellaphora terrestris</i> sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae, Sellaphoraceae) from Vietnam, with Remarks on the Phylogeny and Taxonomy of <i>Sellaphora</i> and Systematic Position of <i>Microcostatus</i>

Abstract

In material isolated from soils of Cát Tiên National Park, we isolated four strains that were assigned to the genus Sellaphora. Identification was carried out on the basis of morphological and molecular studies. We proposed a new species named Sellaphora terrestris sp. nov. An evolutionary distance matrix, based on the 18S rDNA gene including the V4 domain, showed the new species shared 94.1–97.2% similarities with other Sellaphora sequences. The new species is morphologically similar to species previously identified as representatives of the genus Microcostatus.

Keywords

• diatoms
• morphology
• molecular investigation
• 18S rDNA
• <i>rbc</i>L
• soil