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Rhopalodia sp
caption
A relatively large pennate diatom, 80-150 μm long, 7-10 μm wide. Cells are solitary, wedge-shaped like a canoe. Asymetric and dorsiventral (lunate) in valve view, but the cells are usually seen in girdle view. Valves are elongated, are broadly linear or arcuate with ventrally deflected poles, strongly asymmetrical about the apical plane. Cells have a single platelike plastid with lobed margins in the ventral side of the cell. The raphe is along the dorsal margin of the valve and may be difficult to see in valve view, it opens into a canal. Endosymbiotic N-fixing cyanophytes are present in at least some species of this genus. Usually found in hard water N-poor benthic habitats.
author
aalster and tzohary
copyright
A Alster & T Zohary, Kinneret Limnological Laboratory, IOLR
observation details
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image notes
Photo taken with an Olympus BX50 Microscope equipped with DIC optics and PixeLink digital camera, mag. X40
