The genus Cymbopleura (Cymbellales, Bacillariophyta) from high altitude freshwater habitats, Everest National Park, Nepal, with the description of two new species

Abstract

As part of a study on the diatom flora of the Gokyo Valley, Everest National Park, Nepal, eleven species of Cymbopleura (Bacillariophyta), including two new species, Cymbopleura gokyoensis Jüttner et Van de Vijver sp. nov. and Cymbopleura emoda Jüttner et Van de Vijver sp. nov., were investigated using light and electron microscopy. Some taxa could not be identified with certainty using the currently available literature due to small differences in valve dimensions, raphe structure and striation patterns. It remains unclear whether they represent new species or whether the original descriptions should be emended to include the populations from Nepal. © Czech Phycological Society (2011).