A Survey of the Marine Diatoms of Puerto Rico. I. Suborders Coscinodiscineae and Rhizosoleniineae

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Abstract
A part of the marine diatom geographical distribution for the waters around Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea is updated. Two suborders of the order Centrales are presented. Nine out of 30 observed taxa are cited for the 1st time for Puerto Rico. These are Thalassiosira anguste-lineata; Coscinodiscus centralis; C. gigas; C. rothii; Actinocyclus octonarius var. ralfsii, A. tenuissimus, Rhizosolenia fragilissima; R. robusta and Dactyliosolen antarcticus f. laevis. One species is new for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea, T. nanolineata. The best represented families and genera are: family Coscinodiscaceae and genus Coscinodiscus (6 spp. and 1 variety) and the family Rhizosoleniaceae and genus Rhizosolenia (7 spp., 1 variety and 2 forms). A majority of the taxa, 56.6%, are cosmopolitan; 23.3% are cosmopolitan in temperate-tropical waters; and 10% are pantropical. Most of the taxa, 66.6%, are neritic; 26.6% are oceanic and 6.6% are neritic/oceanic. Some species are more widely distributed than others. Those most frequently cited in the literature relating to the Caribbean Sea and tropical or subtropical Atlantic Ocean are: Skeletonema costatum, Leptocylindrus danicus, Rhizosolenia alata, R. calcar-avis, R. setigera and R. stolterfothii.