Abstract
The diatom zooxanthellae of Amphistegina lobifera, A. lessonii, A. papillosa, Amphisorus hemprichii and Heterostegina depressa growing in the Red Sea near Eilat, Israel were identified. Nitzschia panduriformis var. continua Grun. was found in every specimen of H. depressa and as a rarer secondary zooxanthella in A. lobifera and A. lessonii. Amphora tenerrima Aleem and Hust. was a rare secondary zooxanthella from H. depressa and Amphisorus hemiprichii. A few specimens of each species of Amphistegina harbored Nitzschia frustulum var. subsalina Hustedt. A very small new species, Fragilaria shiloi sp. nov. was the dominant zooxanthella in all 3 spp. of Amphistegina investigated. The valve face of the tiny new species is almost spherical, there is a distinct pseudoraphe. There is no central area and the striae (15 in 10 .mu.m) are radiate and punctate. One marginal spine is present per stria. A new species, Navicula reissii sp. nov., was an endosymbiont in 2 specimens of Amphistegina papillosa. This new Navicula species has elliptical valves with a narrow axial area. The 2 central striae parallel the remaining curved radiate ones (15 in 10 .mu.m). SEM (scanning electron microscopy) shows the valve to be a 3 layered sandwich. A silicious hollow tubular skeleton is internally covered by a continuous silicous sheet and externally by a granularly perforated silicious sheet.