Marine benthic diatoms from Corfou
(Ionian Sea, sublittoral zone)
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Collection of the samples
Six samples were collected by schnorkelling at the end of September
2014, at the following stations along the seaside of Corfou, of Paxos and of Antipaxos :
- Gouvia beach, silt, 2,5 meters deep,
- Antipaxos, calcareous sand, 2,5-3 meters,
- Paxos, sand, 2,5-4 meters,
- Ipsos beach, silty sand, 3-4 meters,
- Sidari beach, dense silty sand, 2 meters,
- Paleokastritsa beach, sand, 3-5 meters.
The
surface of the sediment
was scraped on a thickness of 3-4 mm using 50 ml Falcon tubes.
After dilution with 0.5 volume of sea water, the samples were shaken deeply and the diatoms were separated from the
sediment by 2 or 3 differential sedimentations, then fixed and stored
in acidic Lugol solution. The frustules were treated and
prepared according to Loir (2004a and 2004b ; see bibliography).
Composition of the collected diatom populations
The samples collected at Gouvia, Antipaxos and Sidari contained only scarce diatoms and they were not used.
The analysis of the 3 samples obtained at Ipsos, Paxos and Paleokastritsa has allowed to list 298 taxa, représenting 69
genera (see list of taxa). Between 114 and 144 taxa were observed in every sample.
Fourty one genera were represented by only one taxus. Fourty five taxa
were not identified and the genus of 7 taxa was not determined.
The most represented genera are :
Genus Mastogloia : 58 taxa,
Genera Amphora and Halamphora : 36 taxa,
Genus Nitzschia : 28 taxa,
Genus Diploneis : 22 taxa,
Genus Navicula : 18 taxa,
Genus Cocconeis: 16 taxa,
Genus Pleurosigma : 13 taxa,
Genus Lyrella : 8 taxa,
Genus Gyrosigma : 5 taxa.
Many taxa have measurements near or below the inferior limit given by the diagnoses.
Pictures of some of the collected species are presented in :
The genus Mastogloia Thwaites ex WM Smith :
The 3 samples have allowed to list 58 taxa belonging to the genus Mastogloia (see list of taxa). Six taxa have not been identified.
Fourty four taxa are also present in the sublittoral zone of the French Lesser Antilles.
Two taxa among the 6 non-identified Mastogloia taxa (M. sp. cf. exilis (named M. sp. 6) , M. sp. 3) are present in the sublittoral zone of the French Lesser Antilles.
The valves of several identified Mastogloia taxa have measurements near or below the inferior limits given by the diagnoses.
Some of the 58 Mastogloia taxa are presented in :
Conclusions :
The samples collected at the end of september 2014 in some stations of the sublittoral zone of Corfou and of Paxos
have allowed to establish a first inventory of the
diatoms present on the sandy bottoms, in the first meters of the sublittoral zone of these islands. They
allowed to highlight the diversity of the benthic diatom populations in
this zone and, especially, the presence of several tens of Mastogloia species.
A total of 790 taxa (254 were not identified), was listed in the samples collected in Sardegna, Dalmatia, Greece, Crete, Corfou and Menorca (see list of diatoms from Mediterrenean Sea). In the whole of the samples collected in these six countries we have listed a total of 102 taxa belonging to the genus Mastogloia (see A check-list of the Mastogloia species from the Mediterranean area and list Mastogloia from the Méditerranean Sea).