Surirella minuta

Brebisson ex Kützing 1849      Category: Surirelloid
BASIONYM: Surirella minuta Brebisson ex Kützing 1849
SYNONYM(S): Surirella ovalis var. minuta (Brébisson) Van Heurck | Surirella ovata var. minuta (Brébisson) Cleve-Euler | Surirella pinnata var. minuta (Brébisson) Schumann 
REPORTED AS: Surirella pinnata (W. Smith 1853) | Surirella ovata (Kützing 1844 pro parte) 

Surirella iowensis

 

Surirella ovalis
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LM scalebar = 10 µm = 40 pixels.

Observations

Contributor: Jonathan English - February 2011
Length Range: 18-71 µm
Width Range: 8.5-14 µm
Striae in 10 µm: 25-32

Description

Valves 18-71 µm long by 8.5-14 µm wide, with a length to width ratio between 2 and 5. The keel is low and alar canals are not visible. Valves are heteropolar, with the headpole slightly broader and rounder than the footpole. Apices are broadly rounded and the valve sides are straight,tapering slightly toward the footpole. Fibulae 9-12 in 10 μm, extending from the mantle to the apical axial line. Costae are fine, 25-32 in 10 µm, extending from the valve margin to the apical axis. Every third or fourth costae is raised, 6-9 in 10 µm. 3-5 rows of areolae exist between the costa, which are only visible in the SEM. A single row of what appear to be large areolae in the LM occurs around the circumference of the valve, between the keel and the valve face. These structures are actually indentations in the valve face.

Original Description

Basionym: Surirella minuta
Author: Brebisson ex Kützing 1849
Length Range: 21.2-45 µm
Striae in 10 µm: 3-4

Original Description

S. minuta. Breb. in litt. - S. a latere primario late cuneata, truncata, secundario ovata, striis marginalibus delicatulis in 1/100”’ parte 7-9. - Long. 1/100-1/47”’. - Frustulia subquadrata Breb. Alg. Falaise p. 45. Pl. VI. - Surirella ovata Kg. bacill. {. 62. Tab. 7. Fig. I. II. III. IV. - In Germania, Gallia

Original Images

Cite This Page:
English, J. (2011). Surirella minuta. In Diatoms of the United States. Retrieved June 19, 2013, from http://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/taxa/species/surirella_minuta

Species: Surirella minuta

Contributor: Jonathan English

Reviewer: Sam Rushforth

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Image Credit: Jonathan English, Marina Potapova

  1. Keel low, alar wings absent
  2. Valves slightly heteropolar
  3. Valve sides straight, tapering toward footpole
  4. Each 3rd or 4th costa raised
  5. Fibulae extend from the mantle almost to axial line

The valves are slightly heteropolar with rounded apices and 18-71 µm long by 8.5-14 µm wide. Valve sides are straight, tapering toward the narrower pole (footpole). Fibulae extend from the mantle almost to the axial line, in a density of 9-12 per 10 μm. The costae are dense, 25-32 per 10 µm and every 3rd or 4th costa is raised.

Compare

Surirella minuta is most often confused with the smaller valves of S. brebissonii and S. ovalis. Surirella minuta is distinguished by its straight, rather than rounded margins, and by its higher stria density, 25-32 striae in 10 µm. Surirella minuta has also been confused with S. angusta, but these two species are distinguished by the heteropolar valves of S. minuta and isopolar valves of S. angusta.

Surirella angusta

Surirella brebissonii

Surirella ovalis

Surirella suecica

Citations

Brébisson, A. de. (1838). Considérations sur les Diatomées et essai d’une classification des genres et des espèces appartenant à cette famille. Brée l'Ainé Imprimeur-Libraire, Falaise. 22 pp.

Krammer, K. and Lange-Bertalot, H. (1988). Bacillariophyceae. 2. Teil: Bacillariaceae, Epithemiaceae, Surirellaceae. In: Ettl, H., J. Gerloff, H. Heynig and D. Mollenhauer (eds.) Susswasserflora von Mitteleuropa, Band 2/2. Gustav Fisher Verlag, Jena.

Krammer, K. and Lange-Bertalot, H. (1987). Morphology and taxonomy of Surirella ovalis and related taxa. Diatom Research 2: 77-95.

Kützing, F.T. (1849). Species Algarum. Lipsiae. F.A. Brockhaus, 922 pp.

Links & ID's

Index Nominum Algarum (INA)

Original INA

California Academy of Sciences (CAS)

North American Diatom Ecological Database (NADED)

NADED ID: 65048

Autecology Discussion

Habits

Size Range

101-1000 µm3 (ie Amphora veneta)
1001-10,000 µm3 (ie Diatoma vulgaris)

Motility

highly motile (e.g. a large cell like Surirella AND extensive raphe)

Attachment

unattached

Habitat

benthic

Colony

solitary

EMAP Assessment

Sampling for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) western Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) study was completed during the years 2000-2004 (see citations at bottom of this page). Streams and rivers in 12 western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming). Over 1200 sites on streams and rivers in 12 western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming) were selected for sampling based on a stratified randomized design. This type of design insures that ecological resources are sampled in proportion to their actual geographical presence. Stratified randomized design also allows for estimates of stream length with a known confidence in several “condition classes” (good or least-disturbed, intermediately-disturbed, and poor or most-disturbed) for biotic condition, chemistry and habitat.

EMAP Distribution

Surirella minuta

Distribution

The distribution map represents the relative abundance of this Surirella minuta in the western EMAP study. Relative abundance is a measure of the proportion of cells of this species based on a "fixed count" of 300 total diatom cells counted and identified. Each of the western EMAP sample sites is shown, either with a black dot for sites where Surirella minuta was not recorded, or with a red circle indicating the relative abundance of Surirella minuta.

Note that the size of the proportional symbols varies between species to help show both abundant and rare species.

Scale for the map to the left

EMAP Response Plots

Surirella minuta

Responses

The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Surirella minuta from all the stream reaches where it was present. Note that the relative abundance scale is the same on each plot. Explanation of each environmental variable and units are as follows:

ELEVATION = stream reach elevation (meters)
STRAHLER = distribution plot of the Strahler Stream Order
SLOPE = stream reach gradient (degrees)
W1_HALL = an index that is a measure of streamside (riparian) human activity that ranges from 0 - 10, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 10 indicating severe disturbance.
PHSTVL = pH measured in a sealed syringe sample (pH units)
log_COND = log concentration of specific conductivity (µS/cm)
log_PTL = log concentration of total phosphorus (µg/L)
log_NO3 = log concentration of nitrate (µeq/L)
log_DOC = log concentration of dissolved organic carbon (mg/L)
log_SIO2 = log concentration of silicon (mg/L)
log_NA = log concentration of sodium (µeq/L)
log_HCO3 = log concentration of the bicarbonate ion (µeq/L)
EMBED = percent of the stream substrate that is embedded by sand and fine sediment
log_TURBIDITY = log of turbidity, a measure of cloudiness of water, in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).
DISTOT = an index of total human disturbance in the watershed that ranges from 1 - 100, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 100 indicating severe disturbance.

EMAP citations

Results are published in:

Johnson, T., Hermann, K., Spaulding, S., Beyea, B., Theel, C., Sada, R., Bollman, W., Bowman, J., Larsen, A., Vining, K., Ostermiller, J., Petersen, D. Hargett, E. and Zumberge, J. (2009). An ecological assessment of USEPA Region 8 streams and rivers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 Report, 178 p.

Stoddard, J. L., Peck, D. V., Olsen, A. R., Larsen, D. P., Van Sickle, J., Hawkins, C. P., Hughes, R. M., Whittier, T. R., Lomnicky, G. A., Herlihy, A. T., Kaufman, P. R., Peterson, S. A., Ringold, P. L., Paulsen, S. G., and Blair, R. (2005). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) western streams and rivers statistical summary. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Report 620/R-05/006, 1,762 p.

Stoddard, J. L., Peck, D. V., Paulsen, S. G., Van Sickle, J., Hawkins, C. P., Herlihy, A. T., Hughes, R. M., Kaufman, P. R., Larsen, D. P., Lomnicky, G. A., Olsen, A. R., Peterson, S. A., Ringold, P. L., and Whittier, T. R. (2005). An ecological assessment of western streams and rivers. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Report 620/R-05/005, 49 p.