Caloneis liber (W. Smith) Cleve (1894: 54)

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 : 123

Caloneis liber (W. Smith) Cleve (1894: 54) ( Fig. 34 )

References: Hendey 1951, pl. 9, fig. 8; Witkowski et al. 2000, p. 166, pl. 152, fig. 9.

Features: Length: 55–90 μm, width: 12–17 μm, striae 17–19 in 10 μm.

Description: Valves linear with rounded apices. Raphe fissures almost straight with expanded central pores. Axial area narrow, central area rounded. Transapical striae parallel throughout, interrupted by longitudinal lines.

Remarks: Several specimens examined appeared slightly shorter and wider than reported in the literature. A. liber may be distinguished by the position of the longitudinal lines interrupting transapical striae, which lie in the middle distance between axial area and valve margins. Tynni (1983) presented two images under the name Caloneis cf. liber encountered in Khor Abdallah, south to Basra coral reef location but his images look more similar to C. elongata (Grunow) Boyer (1927: 312) than to this species.

Ecology and Distribution: Widely distributed marine and brackish water species. 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.