Fottea X:X | DOI: 10.5507/fot.2025.005

Sellaphora temporalis sp. nov., Sellaphora catalonica sp. nov., and Nitzschia curvirecta sp. nov.: Three new diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from disconnected pools in the Iberian Peninsula

Guillermo Quevedo-Ortiz ORCID...1, 2*, Joan Gomà ORCID...1, Saul Blanco ORCID...3
1 FEHM-Lab (Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology and Management), Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; *Corresponding author email: quevedoortizbio@gmail.com
2 Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
3 Diatom Lab, University of León, La Serna St., 58, 24006 León, Spain

Disconnected pools are temporary habitats of great ecological importance that can maintain high aquatic biodiversity. However, little is known about the composition and distribution of algal communities in the Mediterranean basin. During a diatom flora study conducted on the Iberian Peninsula, several populations of unknown taxa were found. Detailed observations with optical and scanning electron microscopes allowed for the description of three new taxa to science: Sellaphora temporalis sp. nov., Sellaphora catalonica sp. nov., and Nitzschia curvirecta sp. nov. Differential diagnostic criteria with respect to similar taxa are briefly described, and ecological information is provided. All of this highlights the importance of disconnected Mediterranean pools, often overlooked in terms of conservation.

Keywords: Bacillariophyta, diatoms, disconnected pools, Iberian Peninsula, new species, temporary rivers

Received: January 10, 2025; Revised: May 2, 2025; Accepted: May 8, 2025; Prepublished online: September 3, 2025 

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