Diatoms of North AmericaDiatoms of North America

Denticula tenuis

Kütz. 1844

Denticula Tenuis Guide
  • Category
    Nitzschioid
  • Length Range
    12-20 µm
  • Width Range
    4 µm
  • Striae in 10 µm
    22-28

Identification

Denticula Tenuis 002 Denticula Tenuis 002B Denticula Tenuis 005B Denticula Tenuis 001 Denticula Tenuis 003 Denticula Tenuis 005 Denticula Tenuis 004
View image metadata
Denticula tenuis SEM1

Description

Valves are lanceolate to elliptical-lanceolate, with protracted apices. The raphe is distinct, positioned off center and contained within a canal. Transapical costae are distinct. The striae are punctate. Included in this concept is D. tenuis var. crassula (Naeg. ex Kützing) W. & G.S. West, which appears to represent valves at the lower size range of D. tenuis.

Specimens we have encountered occupy a narrow size range. Patrick and Reimer (1966) give the size range as 6-60 µm long, 3-7 µm broad. Found in alkaline waters across the United States.

Autecology

This taxon has been reported with light micrographs from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Antoniades et al. 2008), Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Great Basin, and California Central Valley (Bahls 2023).

In the Great Lakes National Parks (Edlund et al. 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), this taxon is uncommon (1-5% abundance) to rare (0.1-1% abundance) at Sleeping Bear Dunes (Bass Lake) and Apostle Islands (Outer Lake).

This taxon is known to occur in rivers creeks lakes and springs with cool alkaline water of moderate conductivity and nutrient content (Bahls 2023)

Several research groups consider this taxon an indicator organism and published regional environmental optima and tolerances including:

Antoniades et al. (2008): pH - 8.2, Tolerance Range - 7.7-8.6, Conductivity - 138 µS/cm, Tolerance Range - 65-293 µS/cm, Dissolved Organic Carbon - 4.73 mg/L, Tolerance Range - 2.82-7.93 µS/cm for populations from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Bahls (2023): Conductivity - 255 µS/cm, pH - 8.0, Temperature - 14.1°C, Total Nitrogen - 0.34 mg/L, Total Phosphorus - 20 µg/L for populations from Western North America.

Original Description

  1. DENTICULA TENUIS. Taf. 17. Fig. VIII. 420/1 D. anguste linearis, margine subtiliter punctata, latere secundario subtiliter striato, anguste lan¬ceolato ; striis transversalibus in 1/100"' Parte 10-11. Bacillaria palea Nitzsch. Taf. 3. Fig. 3.? Unter Conferven und andern Diatomeen in fliessenden und stehenden Wassergräben bei Nordhausen ! theils einzeln, theils in grössern Haufen beisammen. - Länge bis 1/90‘‘‘. Anmerk. Diese Form hat so grosse Aehnlichkeit mit den einzelnen Gliedern des Diatoma tenue (Taf. 17. Fig. X.), dass ich sie anfangs von diesen nicht verschieden gehalten habe. Später fand ich dieselbe aber sehr häufig immer wieder in diesem losen Zustande, lebend und in Bewegung, wie die Naviculae, und dies hat mich veranlasst, sie hier als besondere Art aufzuführen.
  • Basionym
    Denticula tenuis
  • Author
    Kütz. 1844

Original Images

Denticula tenuis orig illus
Denticula Tenuis Descr

Citations & Links

Citations

Links

  • Index Nominum Algarum
    Original
  • North American Diatom Ecological Database
    NADED ID: 25002

Updates

Feb 05, 2026 - Addition of Autecology

From 2011 until 2026, the autecological information on this taxon page was limited. As of this update, information on ecology, biogeography, and environmental optima have been added. - Lane Allen and Mark Edlund

Cite This Page

Kociolek, P., Edlund, M., Allen, L. (2011). Denticula tenuis. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved March 23, 2026, from https://diatoms.org/species/46054/denticula_tenuis

Responses

The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Denticula tenuis from all the stream reaches where it was present. Note that the relative abundance scale is the same on each plot. Explanation of each environmental variable and units are as follows:

ELEVATION = stream reach elevation (meters)
STRAHLER = distribution plot of the Strahler Stream Order
SLOPE = stream reach gradient (degrees)
W1_HALL = an index that is a measure of streamside (riparian) human activity that ranges from 0 - 10, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 10 indicating severe disturbance.
PHSTVL = pH measured in a sealed syringe sample (pH units)
log_COND = log concentration of specific conductivity (µS/cm)
log_PTL = log concentration of total phosphorus (µg/L)
log_NO3 = log concentration of nitrate (µeq/L)
log_DOC = log concentration of dissolved organic carbon (mg/L)
log_SIO2 = log concentration of silicon (mg/L)
log_NA = log concentration of sodium (µeq/L)
log_HCO3 = log concentration of the bicarbonate ion (µeq/L)
EMBED = percent of the stream substrate that is embedded by sand and fine sediment
log_TURBIDITY = log of turbidity, a measure of cloudiness of water, in nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).
DISTOT = an index of total human disturbance in the watershed that ranges from 1 - 100, with a value of 0 indicating of minimal disturbance to a value of 100 indicating severe disturbance.