Name: Nitzschia palea
Family: Bacillariaceae
Collection Date: November 11, 2011
Location: Hiram College Botany Lab, Algal Tanks
Collector: Katie Rumora
Key Used:
Bellinger, E. G., & Sigee, D. C. (2010). Freshwater Algae: Identification and Use as Bioindicators . Oxford : Wiley-Blackwell.
1b. Plants microscopic or if visible to the naked eye it is normally because they are present as a mass – but still requiring microscopic observation to determine more detailed morphology … 3
3b. Cells individual or in groups that may be regular or irregular in shape but not forming a filament, strand or ribbon … 56
56b. Cell pigments localized in chloroplasts … 68
68b. Cells either individual, in pairs or in aggregations with no definite shape … 106
106b. Cells without flagella, non-motile … 126
126a. Cells isolated or in groups, wall siliceous with grooves or dots which form a definite pattern or other definite markings on the surface. Storage products mainly lipids and droplets may be visible within the cell. Chloroplasts one to many, yellow-green or golden to brown in colour … 127
127b. Cells elongate, cigar-, boat-, crescent-shaped, or a distorted version of these. Decorations arranged bilaterally, although this is not always obvious in cells having a crescent or distorted shape … 139
139b. Valves without long spines … 144
144b. Cells not as above … 145
145b. Cells without either costae or septa … 147
147b. Cells not triradiate … 148
148b. Cells not S-shaped in outline … 151
151b. Cells not saddle-shaped in one view ... 152
152b. Cells more narrowly elliptical, oval or elongate. Heteropolar or isopolar. One or more chloroplasts, not C-shaped … 153
153b. Cells without thickened ridges along most of the length of the raphe … 154
154b. Cells without undulate surface. Lanceolate to oval in shape, sometimes egg-shaped or narrowing towards the centre … 155
155b. Cells not as above ... 157
157b. Cells not crescent-shaped or as above … 165
165b. Cells not forming star-shaped colonies … 166
166b. Cells not as above … 167
167b. Cells not as above, isopolar and not shaped like an Egyptian mummy … 170
170b. Cells isopolar, lanceolate to elongate-elliptical in valve view, bent or curved in girdle view … 176
176b. Cells mostly solitary … 191
191b. Cells not attached, broader in shape. True raphe present … 192
192a. Two chloroplasts per cell, one either side of central axis. There are a series of carinal dots visible along one margin … Nitzschia
Description:
“Nitzchia is a large genus whose cells may be elliptical, narrow linear, spindle-shaped or sigmoid in valve view. In some species the valve centre may be slightly constricted. The raphe is displaced to one margin but the raphe on each valve is diagonally opposite the other. The raphe structure itself is a canal supported by bars which appear as carinal dots. There is no clear central area in the striate which may be fine or coarse in appearance. Two large chloroplast are present, one either end of the central area. Cells are solitary and may be benthic or planktonic. A very common and widespread genus found in a variety of water types” (Bellinger & Sigee, 2010) .
Figure 1: Actual specimen of N. palea
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