Fallacia forcipata (Greville) Stickle & D.G. Mann

Al-Handal, Adil Y., Thomas, Evan W. & Pennesi, Chiara, 2018, Marine benthic diatoms in the newly discovered coral reefs, off Basra coast, Southern Iraq, Phytotaxa 372 (2), pp. 111-152 : 122-123

Fallacia forcipata (Greville) Stickle & D.G. Mann in Round et al. (1990: 668) ( Fig. 29 )

References: Hendey 1964, p. 211, pl. 33, figs 8,9; Krammer & Lange Bertalot 1986, pl. 65, figs 12,13 (as Navicula forcipata Greville 1859: 83 ); Witkowski et al. 2000, p. 205, pl. 72, figs 2–9.

Features: Length 34–48 μm, width 10–16 μm, striae 16–18 in 10 μm.

Description: Valves linear-elliptical with rounded apices. Raphe fissures straight with transapical dilated central area connected with the large hyaline lateral sterna. Transapical striae parallel at the center and radiate near the apices.

Remarks: Striae density of F. forcipata is variable, normally it is in the range of 13–16 in 10 μm but higher densities (up to 22 in 10 μm) were reported ( Krammer & Lange-Bertalot 1986).

Ecology and Distribution: A widely distributed marine and brackish water species. Previously reported from the

Gulf ( Hendey 1970). Frequent in Basra corals.

Figures

FIGURES 21–37. Marine benthic diatoms in coral reefs off Basra. Fig. 21. Mastogloia quinquecostata, Fig. 22. Cocconeis latecostata, Fig. 23. Berkeleya scopuloru, Figs 24, 25. Climaconei sp. Fig. 26. Parlibellus rhombiformis, Fig. 27. Parlibellus sp., Fig. 28. Biremis ambigua, Fig. 29. Fallacia forcipata, Fig. 30. Fallacia nummularia, Fig. 31 Fallacia sp., Fig. 32. Progonoia musca, Fig. 33. Caloneis elongata, Fig. 34. Caloneis liber, Fig. 35. Diploneis cf. interrupta, Fig. 36. Diploneis chersonensis, Fig. 37. Diploneis fusca.