Frankophila sudamericana sp. nov., a new diatom species (Bacillariophyta) found in Salar de Aguas Calientes and Salar de Huasco, high altitude Andean localities in northern Chile/ Frankophila sudamericana sp. nov., una nueva especie de diatomea (Bacillariophyta) encontrada en el Salar de Aguas Calientes y Salar de Huasco, localidades Andinas de gran altitud en el norte de Chile

The genus Frankophila was established by Lange-Bertalot (1997) to include small pennate chain-forming cells bearing a short raphe on the apices of the valves. Here, Rivera and Cruces describe Frankophila sudamericana sp. Nov from the material collected in Salar de Aguas Calientes. The new species, also found in Salar de Huasco, is characterized by linear-elliptical valves and axial area, striae (10 in µm, rarely 9) composed of three rows of areolae, very short raphe slits not visible in light microscopy, and non-bifurcate and hollow marginal species.