Thalassiosiraceae Lebour

Al-Handal, Adil Y., Compère, Pierre & Criobe-Usr, Catherine Riaux-Gobin, 2016, Marine benthic diatoms in the coral reefs of Reunion and Rodrigues Islands, West Indian Ocean, Micronesica 2016 (3), pp. 1-78 : 4

Family Thalassiosiraceae Lebour

Thalassiosira sp. (Pl. 1, Fig. 5) Features: Valves circular, flat, 16-18 µm in diameter. Valve surface strongly areolated with small hexagonal areolae arranged in curved tangential rows, not radiating from the center, very slightly decrease in size towards the margin, 26 in 10 µm. Valve margin with numerous small processes. Remarks: Very few specimens were observed in valve view. Rimoportulae could not be seen. The pattern of areolation looks similar to T. eccentrica but with higher density of areolae and more marginal processes. Pervalvar axis not examined.

Occurrence: Rare in Reunion Island.