Pinnularia grunowii (Naviculales, Bacillariophyta), a New Record of diatom in the Taleghan River for Diatoms Flora of Iran

Diatoms are one of the most important branches of algae which are classified as pinnate and centric groups. Taleghan River is one of the main tributaries of Sepid Roud in Iran, which has 180 km in length. This study was complementary to the previous diatom projects in Taleghan River and introducing the new record for this area.

This study was carried out from Shahrivar 1398 to Shahrivar 1399 for one year and samples were collected seasonally from two upstream stations. 60 ml of precipitates was collected from 1 cm depth of the River using a syringe and fixed in 4% Formalin. The permanent slides were provided based on the standard protocol and the images were captured with a photomicroscope.

During the sampling from two stations upstream of Taleghan Dam, Pinnularia grunowii Krammer was identified as a new record for the diatom flora of Iran. The most important morphological characters of this taxon are the valve outline treeudulate, non-curved striae, and it's size which make it different from the other similar taxa such as; Pinnularia subanglica Petersen, Pinnularia biceps Gregory, Pinnularia lundii var. linearis Krammer, and Pinnularia angusta var. angusta (Cleve) Krammer.

It is necessary to investigate in other ecosystems of Iran to understand the ecology and distribution of the Pinnularia grunowii Krammer.