Micrasterias is a unicellular green alga of the order Desmidiales. Its species vary in size reaching up to hundreds of microns.
Chaetoceros is a genus of diatoms in the family Chaetocerotaceae, first described by the German naturalist C. G. Ehrenberg in 1844. Species of this genus are mostly found in marine habitats, but a few species exist in freshwater. It is arguably the common and most diverse genus of marine planktonic diatoms, with over 200 accepted species. It is the type genus of its family.
Bacillariaceae is a family of diatoms in the phylum Heterokontophyta, the only family in the order Bacillariales. Some species of genera such as Nitzchia are found in halophilic environments; for example, in the seasonally flooded Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.
Pseudo-nitzschia is a marine planktonic diatom genus that accounts for 4.4% of pennate diatoms found worldwide. Some species are capable of producing the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA), which is responsible for the neurological disorder in humans known as amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). Currently, 58 species are known, 28 of which have been shown to produced DA. It was originally hypothesized that only dinoflagellates could produce harmful algal toxins, but a deadly bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia occurred in 1987 in the bays of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and led to an outbreak of ASP. Over 100 people were affected by this outbreak after consuming contaminated mussels; three people died. Since this event, no additional deaths have been attributed to ASP, though the prevalence of toxic diatoms and DA has increased worldwide. This anomaly is likely due to increased awareness of harmful algal blooms (HABs) and their implications for human and ecosystem health.
Amphora is a major genus of marine and freshwater diatoms. With over 1000 species, it is one of the largest genera of diatoms. These diatoms are recognized by their strongly dorsiventral frustules, which means that their ridges lie close to the ventral margin of the valve, and their girdle is much wider on the dorsal side.
Laurencia is a genus of red algae that grow in temperate and tropical shore areas, in littoral to sublittoral habitats, at depths up to 65 m (213 ft).
Eunotiaceae is a family of diatoms in the order Eunotiales that includes the following genera:
Navicula cari is a species of algae in the genus Navicula. Navicula cari occur in eutrophic waters.
Luticola is a genus of marine diatoms.
Cyclotella is a genus of diatoms often found in oligotrophic environments, both marine and fresh water. It is in the family Stephanodiscaceae and the order Thalassiosirales. The genus was first discovered in the mid-1800s and since then has become an umbrella genus for nearly 100 different species, the most well-studied and the best known being Cyclotella meneghiniana. Despite being among the most dominant genera in low-productivity environments, it is relatively understudied.
Adlafia is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Anomoeoneidaceae.
Cosmioneis is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Cosmioneidaceae.
Diploneis is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Diploneidaceae.
Gomphonema is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Gomphonemataceae.
Melosira is a genus of diatoms belonging to the family Melosiraceae.
Stauroneis is a genus of diatoms (Bacillariophyta) with species that occur in fresh and marine water.
Nupela is a genus of diatom. Species of Nupela typically measure less than 20 µm. The genus was first described as being isovalvar, however many recently described species are heterovalvar. The main diagnostic characteristic of the genus is the presence of an external covering over the areolae. The genus was circumscribed by Wim Vyverman and Pierre Compère in 1991, with Nupela giluwensis asigned as the type, and at that time, only species.
