Platebaikalia - a new monoraphid diatom genus from ancient Lake Baikal with comments on the genus Platessa

A new monoraphid diatom genus, Platebaikalia gen. nov., was described based on a detailed morphological investigation using light and scanning electron microscopy. Previously Platessa elegans Kulikovskiy et Lange-Bertalot was described from ancient Lake Baikal, and this species serves as the generitype for the newly-described genus. Platebaikalia elegans is a rare taxon found in the deeper parts of Lake Baikal. Platebaikalia elegans is characterized by having multiseriate striae on the raphe valves with biseriate striae on the rapheless valves, though in some specimens a short third row of areolae may be present in some striae. Morphology of striae is helpful to distinguish the genus Platebaikalia from Platessa and other monoraphid genera. Other morphological features that differentiate our new genus from other monoraphid taxa are discussed. We review the morphological data on Platessa species, and based on these data can recognize eight groups of taxa in the genus. Our analysis shows that Platessa as currently circumscribed may contain groups of species that are quite different from one another morphologically, and possibly includes taxa that could be recognized as different at the genus level. A few new combinations are suggested when taxa from the genus Platessa transferred to genera Psammothidium and Planothidium. Some problems of taxonomy of monoraphid taxa are discussed and we believe that taxonomy of this group of diatoms is in need of special attention in future.