diatom flora in temporary ponds of Doñana National Park (southwest Spain): five new taxa

Doñana temporary ponds (southwest Spain) form a system of water bodies of remarkable ecological singularity with a high protection status. However, its species composition, diversity, and distribution of algal communities are largely unknown. During a biological survey carried out in shallow temporary ponds in 2010, several unknown diatom taxa were found in various population densities in the epiphyton of these systems. Detailed light and scanning electron microscopy observations allowed the description of five of them (Eunotia vozmedianoi, Planothidium lacustre, Halamphora tharsis, G. undulans and Pinnularia acidophila var. baetica) as taxa new to science. Differential diagnostic criteria with respect to similar taxa, together with ecological and biogeographical implications of these findings, are briefly discussed. Our results support recent studies indicating that endemism in diatoms might be a widespread pattern.