Fottea X:X | DOI: 10.5507/fot.2026.006

Navicula gongshanensis sp. nov., a new diatom species from a high altitude lakes in southwest China

Ji-Min Huang1, 2, Kun Zheng1, 3, Xiao-Yang He4, John Patrick Kociolek5, Lian-Cong Luo2, Yan-Ling Li1
1 Yunnan Key Laboratory of Ecological Protection and Resource Utilization of River-lake Networks, Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, P. R. China.
2 School of Hydraulic Engineering, Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Water Resources Allocation and Efficient Utilization, Jiangxi University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Nanchang, China 330099
3 Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-security, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, P. R. China
4 Gong-shan Administration Bureau, Gao-li-gong Mountain National Nature Reserve, Gongshan 673500, China
5 Museum of Natural History and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado-80309, USA

A new diatom species, Navicula gongshanensis sp. nov., was described from high-altitude lakes of Gongshan County in southwestern China. Detailed morphological characteristics of this species are documented based on light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Navicula gongshanensis sp. nov. is similar to N. radiosa, N. irmengardis, N. radiosafallax, N. broetzii and N. baicalirmengardis in its narrow-lanceolate valve outline, but it differs from these species in terms of its valve size, stria and areolae density and the unique shape of its external areolae openings. Meanwhile, we retrieved 106 novel species (1982-2025) from the Web of Science database and compared the external areola opening shapes of Navicula gongshanensis sp. nov. with these retrieved taxa. These findings increase our understanding of the variability of species assigned to the genus and the morphology and distribution of the genus Navicula in China.

Keywords: diatoms, morphology, new species, Navicula, electron microscopy

Received: December 21, 2025; Revised: April 1, 2026; Accepted: May 13, 2026; Prepublished online: September 9, 2026 

Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Battarbee, R. W. (1986). Diatom analysis. In S. A. Norton (Ed.), Handbook of Holocene palaeoecology & palaeohydrology (pp. 527-570). John Wiley & Sons.
    2. Bessey, C. E. (1907). A synopsis of plant phyla. Nebraska University Studies, 7, 275-373.
    3. Bory de Saint-Vincent, J. B. G. M. (1822). Bacillarées. Dictionnaire Classique d'Histoire Naturelle, 2, 127-129.
    4. Bukhtiyarova, L., & Round, F. E. (1996). Revision of the genus Achnanthes sensu lato. Psammothidium a new genus based on A. marginulatum. Diatom Research, 11(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.1996.9705361 Go to original source...
    5. Cantonati, M., Angeli, N., Bilous, O., Ciugulea, I., Lange-Bertalot, H., Papatheodoulou, A., & Saber, A. A. (2024). Taxonomic and ecological characterization of three symmetric biraphid diatom species from streams in Cyprus. Fottea, 24(1), 85-98. https://doi.org/10.5507/fot.2023.012 Go to original source...
    6. Carter, J. R. (1963). Some new diatoms from British waters. Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Club, 29(8), 199-203.
    7. Chen, J. Y., & Zhang, E. L. (2015). Sediment record of subfossil chironomid assemblages in the ecosystem evolution of Lake Chenghai [In Chinese with English abstract]. Ecological Science, 34, 1-8.
    8. Cid-Rodríguez, M., Cantonati, M., Angeli, N., Bilous, O., Al-Harbi, M., Lange-Bertalot, H., Levkov, Z., Piana, L., Spitale, D., & Saber, A. A. (2024). The diatom genus Navicula in spring ecosystems with the description of Navicula aquaesuavis sp. nov. Water, 16(19), Article 2751. https://doi.org/10.3390/w16192751 Go to original source...
    9. Cleve, P. T. (1894). Synopsis of the naviculoid diatoms, Part I. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, 26(2), 1-194.
    10. Cleve, P. T. (1895). Synopsis of the naviculoid diatoms, Part II. Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, 27, 1-219.
    11. Cox, E. J. (1979). Taxonomic studies on the diatom genus Navicula Bory: The typification of the genus. Bacillaria, 2, 137-153.
    12. Cox, E. J. (1999). Studies on the diatom genus Navicula Bory. VIII. Variation in valve morphology in relation to the generic diagnosis based on Navicula tripunctata (O. F. Müller) Bory. Diatom Research, 14(2), 207-237. https://doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.1999.9705467 Go to original source...
    13. Cox, E. J. (2025). Symmetry and structure re-visited: Is symmetry still over-emphasised as a taxonomic character for naviculoid diatoms? Plant Ecology and Evolution, 158(2), 309-322. https://doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.152748 Go to original source...
    14. Czarnecki, D. B. (1994). The freshwater diatoms culture collection at Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa. In J. P. Kockiolek (Ed.), Proceedings of the 11th International Diatom Symposium (Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences, Vol. 17, pp. 155-174). California Academy of Sciences.
    15. Guiry, M. D., & Guiry, G. M. (2025). AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org
    16. Guo, J. S., Meng, W. W., He, X. Y., Zhang, Y., Li, Y. L., & Kociolek, J. P. (2021). Oricymba gongshanensis sp. nov. (Cymbellaceae; Bacillariophyceae), a new species from southwest China. Phytotaxa, 508(1), 39-48. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.508.1.3 Go to original source...
    17. Guo, J. S., Kociolek, J. P., & Li, Y. L. (2025). A new species of Navicula (Bacillariophyta; Naviculaceae) from Yunnan Province, China. Phytotaxa, 705(3), 279-286. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.705.3.5 Go to original source...
    18. Haeckel, E. (1878). Das Protistenreich. Eine populäre Uebersicht über das Formengebiet der niedersten Lebewesen. Ernst Günther's Verlag. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.58542 Go to original source...
    19. Hustedt, F. (1959). Die Kieselalgen Deutschlands, Österreichs und der Schweiz unter Berücksichtigung der übrigen Länder Europas sowie der angrenzenden Meeresgebiete. In L. Rabenhorst (Ed.), Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (Vol. 7, Teil 2, Lief. 6, pp. 737-845). Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft.
    20. Hustedt, F. (1961-1964). Die Kieselalgen Deutschlands, Österreichs und der Schweiz unter Berücksichtigung der übrigen Länder Europas sowie der angrenzenden Meeresgebiete. In L. Rabenhorst (Ed.), Kryptogamen-Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (Vol. 7, Teil 3, Lief. 1-4, pp. 1-816). Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft.
    21. Jiang, Y. F., Blanco, S., & Zhang, W. (2025). Navicula congqiancuoensis sp. nov. - a new diatom species (Bacillariophyceae) from Sichuan Province, China. PhytoKeys, 257, 209-217. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.257.152987 Go to original source...
    22. Karayeva, N. I. (1978). A new suborder of diatoms. Botanicheskii Zhurnal, 63(12), 1747-1750.
    23. Kulikovskiy, M. S., Lange-Bertalot, H., Metzeltin, D., & Witkowski, A. (2012). Lake Baikal: Hotspot of endemic diatoms I. In H. Lange-Bertalot (Ed.), Iconographia Diatomologica (Vol. 23, pp. 1-861). Koeltz Scientific Books.
    24. Kulikovskiy, M., Glushchenko, A., Kuznetsova, I., Genkal, S., & Kociolek, J. P. (2020). Gololobovia gen. nov.-a new genus from Lake Baikal with comments on pore occlusion in monoraphid diatoms. Phycologia, 59(6), 613-633. https://doi.org/10.1080/00318884.2020.1830596 Go to original source...
    25. Kulikovskiy, M. S., Chudaev, D. A., Glushchenko, A. M., Kuznetsova, I. V., & Kociolek, J. P. (2022). Two new species of Navicula (Bacillariophyta) from Southeast Asia. PhytoKeys, 190, 69-85. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.190.78164 Go to original source...
    26. Kützing, F. T. (1844). Die kieselschaligen Bacillarien oder Diatomeen. Nordhausen. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.64360 Go to original source...
    27. Kützing, F. T. (1849). Species algarum. F. A. Brockhaus.
    28. Lange-Bertalot, H. (1980). Zur taxonomischen Revision einiger ökologisch wichtiger "Navicula lineolatae" Cleve: Die Formenkreise um Navicula lanceolata, N. viridula, N. cari. Cryptogamie, Algologie, 1, 29-50.
    29. Lange-Bertalot, H. (1993). 85 new taxa and much more than 100 taxonomic clarifications supplementary to Süßwasserflora von Mitteleuropa Vol. 2/1-4 (Bibliotheca Diatomologica, Vol. 27, pp. 1-454). J. Cramer.
    30. Lange-Bertalot, H., & Metzeltin, D. (1996). Indicators of oligotrophy: 800 taxa representative of three ecologically distinct lake types: Carbonate buffered, oligodystrophic, weakly buffered soft water (Iconographia Diatomologica, Vol. 2, pp. 1-390). Koeltz Scientific Books.
    31. Lange-Bertalot, H. (2001). Navicula sensu stricto, 10 genera separated from Navicula sensu lato, Frustulia (Diatoms of Europe, Vol. 2, pp. 1-526). A.R.G. Gantner Verlag K.G.
    32. Liu, Y., Kociolek, J. P., Kulikovskiy, M., Glushchenko, A., Yu, P., Wang, Q. X., Lu, X. X., & Fan, Y. W. (2023). Qinia gen. nov. (Bacillariophyceae: Cymbellales) from Yunnan Province, China. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 41, 1965-1977. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-022-2101-6 Go to original source...
    33. Liu, Q., Luo, X., Xie, S. L., & Kociolek, J. P. (2023). New and interesting diatoms from the Shimen Wetwalls, Yunnan Province, China. II. The diatom genus Nupela Vyverman & Compère (Bacillariophyceae). Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 41(1), 327-341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-021-1281-9 Go to original source...
    34. Liu, Q., Liu, E., You, Q., Wang, Q., Kociolek, J. P., & Xie, S. (2024). New and interesting diatoms from the Shiwan wetwalls, Yunnan Province, China. III. Valve ultrastructure of four new species of Eunotia (Bacillariophyceae: Eunotiales). Phytotaxa, 642(4), 242-254. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.642.4.2 Go to original source...
    35. Li, Y. L., Liao, M. N., & Metzeltin, D. (2020). Three new Navicula (Bacillariophyta) species from an oligotrophic, deep lake, China. Fottea, 20(2), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.5507/fot.2020.002Müller, O. F. (1786). Animalcula infusoria fluviatilia et marina quae detexit, systematice descripsit et ad vivum delineare curavit O. F. Müller. Havniae. Go to original source...
    36. Mironov, A., Maltsev, Y., Kociolek, J. P., Kezlya, E., Liu, Y., & Kulikovskiy, M. (2024). Description of Encyonemataceae fam. nov. and Witkowskiaceae fam. nov. (Bacillariophyceae, Cymbellales) based on molecular and morphological analyses. Scientific Reports, 14, Article 31045. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-82213-0 Go to original source...
    37. Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., da Fonseca, G. A. B., & Kent, J. (2000). Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853-858. https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501 Go to original source...
    38. Nikolaev, V. L., & Harwood, D. M. (2002). Morphology, taxonomy and system classification of centric diatoms. Russian Academy of Sciences, Komarov Botanical Institute.
    39. Patrick, R. M. (1959). New species and nomenclatural changes in the genus Navicula (Bacillariophyceae). Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 111, 91-108.
    40. Qian, J., Zhang, L., & Le, M. (1990). The determination of total nitrogen and total phosphorus by digestion of persulphate [In Chinese with English abstract]. Soils, 22, 258-262.
    41. Ren, J., Liu, E., Liu, Y., Greenwood, M., Hamsher, S., Miller, S. R., Li, J., Xie, S. L., Kociolek, J. P., & Liu, Q. (2025). Three new species of the diatom genus Epithemia Brébisson ex Kützing (Bacillariophyceae, Rhopalodiales) from Yunnan Province, China. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-025-5060-x Go to original source...
    42. Round, F. E., Crawford, R. M., & Mann, D. G. (1990). The diatoms: Biology & morphology of the genera. Cambridge University Press.
    43. Schaarschmidt, J. (1881). Algae. In A. Kanitz (Ed.), Plantas Romaniae hucusque cognitas (pp. 151-165, 261-268). Magyar Növénytani Lapok, 5.
    44. Simonsen, R. (1974). The diatom plankton of the Indian Ocean Expedition of R/V Meteor 1964-1965. Meteor Forschungsergebnisse, Reihe D: Biologie, 19, 1-107.
    45. Simonsen, R. (1979). The diatom system: Ideas on phylogeny. Bacillaria, 2, 9-71.
    46. Xiao, Q. Z., Guo, J. S., Tang, Z. B., Kociolek, J. P., & Li, Y. L. (2023). Navicula sinicomeniscus sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta; Naviculaceae), a new species from southwestern China. Phytotaxa, 591(4), 241-252. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.591.4.1 Go to original source...
    47. Xiang, Y., Kociolek, J. P., Wang, J., Xie, S., & Liu, Q. (2025). Morphology, phylogeny and chloroplast genome of Liparogyra sinensis sp. nov. (Liparogyraceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Diatom Research, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/0269249X.2025.2550281 Go to original source...
    48. Yilmaz, E., Mann, D. G., Gastineau, R., Trobajo, R., Solak, C. N., Górecka, E., Turmel, M., Lemieux, C., Ertorun, N., & Witkowski, A. (2024). Description of Navicula vanseea sp. nov. (Naviculales, Naviculaceae), a new species of diatom from the highly alkaline Lake Van (Republic of Türkiye) with complete characterisation of its organellar genomes and multigene phylogeny. PhytoKeys, 241, 27-48. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.241.118903 Go to original source...
    49. Zhang, Y., Guo, J. S., Kociolek, J. P., & Li, Y. L. (2022). Navicula fuxianturriformis sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae), a new species from southwest China. Phytotaxa, 541(2), 141-152. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.541.2.4 Go to original source...
    50. Zheng, K., Xiao, Q. Z., Guo, J. S., Huang, J. M., Zhang, Y., Kociolek, J. P., & Li, Y. L. (2025). Cymbella erhaiensis sp. nov., a new cymbelloid diatom species (Cymbellales, Bacillariophyta) from Yunnan Province, China. Phytotaxa, 683(2), 145-155. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.683.2.5 Go to original source...

    Return