Fottea X:X | DOI: 10.5507/fot.2025.006

Neoluticola (Bacillariophyceae) a new genus of colonial diatoms from tropical America

Julian Simonato ORCID...a, *, Silvia E. Sala ORCID...a, John P. Kociolek ORCID...b
a División Ficología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; * Corresponding author e-mail: juliansimonato@gsuite.fcnym.edu.ar, e-mail: sesala@gsuite.fcnym.unlp.edu.ar
b Museum of Natural History and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, 15th and Broadway, Boulder, Colorado, USA; E-mail: patrick.kociolek@colorado.edu

In the framework of a study of the genus Luticola Mann we collected and processed samples from different ecoregions of Argentina, analyzed them with light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In aerophilous samples collected in Misiones Province, Argentina, we found colonial specimens. The aim of this work is to elucidate the identity of the colonial forms found in aerophilous samples in NE Argentina. In the present study, we describe the genus Neoluticola Simonato, Sala et Kociolek and four species: Neoluticola spinosa Simonato, Sala et Kociolek sp. nov., Neoluticola arrechensis Simonato, Sala et Kociolek sp. nov., Neoluticola alegrensis Simonato, Sala et Kociolek sp. nov., and Neoluticola salvadoriana Simonato, Sala et Kociolek. Neoluticola comprises a group of aerophilous colonial species that share with Luticola a conspicuous isolated pore in the central area, distinctly punctate striae, and marginal channels. The new genus differs from Luticola in the location of the isolated pore on the valve face/mantle junction, colonial life habit, special structures (spines or silica projections) that join cells together, very thin slit-like areolae on the valve mantle, an elevated fascia expanded side to side, internal proximal raphe ends strongly curved, and fimbriate girdle bands. We compare the species of the new genus with morphologically similar ones from Luticola and discuss the geographic distribution of Neoluticola gen. nov.

Keywords: aerophilous, fine morphology, geographic distribution, Luticola, SEM, taxonomy

Received: December 27, 2024; Revised: May 9, 2025; Accepted: May 13, 2025; Prepublished online: September 3, 2025 

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