New taxa of the genus Navicula (Bacillariophyceae) in the diatom flora of Serbia

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to report two benthic, epilithic diatom species from the Raška River. Samples were collected in April, June, August and November 2011 and March and May 2012 from 5 localities along the Raška River by scraping off the stone surface using a brush. Diatom frustules were first cleaned using the cold acid method, and then mounted on permanent slides. Descriptions (main valve measurements of the populations in the Raška River), ecology, distribution in Serbia and Europe, and appropriate photomicrographs of two species are presented. Navicula jakovljevicii Hustedt and Navicula catalanogermanica Lange-Bertalot & Hofmann are rarely found in Europe and these are new distributional records. These new taxa significantly contribute to diatom floristic diversity of the Raška River.