Guide to Lindavia

Lindavia contains the taxa that were formerly included in the Cyclotella comta group, including species in the genera Puncticulata and Handmannia based on Nakov et al. (2015). This page was updated in 2026 to reflect the genus Pantocsekiella, which has irregular proximal striae and lacking central areolae (Ács et al. 2016).

Lindavia has one or more rimoportulae are present on the valve face (not positioned along side the marginal fultoportulae). Three satellite pores are present on the fultoportulae.

The name Lindavia was first published as a section of Cyclotella (see Schütt, 1899, p. 220), with a single taxon Cyclotella socialis Schütt 1899. The taxon was treated as a genus (De Toni and Forti 1900) and included Lindavia radiosa (Grunow) Schütt (= Cyclotella comta var. radiosa Grun. in Van Heurck). Cyclotella socialis is implicitly included by De Toni and Forti by citation of Schütt's section. Because it is the type of the section, Cyclotella socialis is the type of the genus Lindavia (Fourtainer and Kociolek 2011).

The name Puncticulata (Håkansson 2002) is illegitimate. Furthermore, both Puncticulata and Handmannia are later synonyms of Lindavia (Nakov et al. 2015). A rimoportula positioned on the valve face was recognized as synapomorphy for the group of taxa including Cyclotella comta, C. ocellata and Pliocaenicus. To reflect priority according to the ICN and monophyletic taxa, Nakov et al. transferred species with this shared, derived feature of a rimoportula on the valve face into the genus Lindavia.

Nakov et al. (2015) made the formal transfer of some 90 species in Cyclotella, Handmannia, Pliocenicus and Puncticulata into Lindavia.