Rota

A rota is a type of velum consisting of one or more bars across an areola resembling a wheel with spokes with or without a widened area in the center. The plural is rotae. The structure is visible only with electron microscopy.

Members of the genus Melosira may have rotae on the internal valve wall.

Also see occlusion, which is a general term for covering.

Citations

Anonymous (1975) Proposals for standardization of diatom terminology and diagnoses Nova Hedwigia, Beihefte 53: 323-354
Cox, E.J. (2004) Pore occlusions in raphid diatoms - a reassessment of their structure and terminology, with particular reference to members of the Cymbellales. Diatom 20: 33-46.

Publication Link: 10.11464/diatom1985.20.0_33
Cox, E.J. (2012) Ontogeny, homology, and terminology - wall morphogenesis as an aid to character recognition and character state definition for pennate diatom systematics Journal of Phycology 48: 1–31

Publication Link: 10.1111/j.1529-8817.2011.01081.x
Ross, R., Cox, E.J., Karayeva, N.I., Mann, D.G., Paddock, T.B.B., Simonsen, R. and Sims, P.A. (1979) An amended terminology for the siliceous components of the diatom cell Nova Hedwigia, Beihefte 64: 513-533
Round, F.E., Crawford, R.M. and Mann, D.G. (1990) The Diatoms. Biology and Morphology of the Genera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 747 pp.

Rhaphoneis amphiceros - rotae — Internal view of areolae of *Rhaphoneis amphiceros* covered by rotae (SEM). Scale bar = 1 µm.