Valves are lanceolate and weakly dorsiventral. Apices are gradually attenuated and rounded. The axial area is narrow. The central area is small and slightly wider than the axial area. The raphe is lateral, becoming filiform at the proximal and distal ends. Proximal raphe ends are deflected dorsally. Distal raphe fissures are curved toward the ventral margin. Striae are radiate, becoming parallel, then weakly convergent toward the apices. A single stigma lies at the proximal end of the median dorsal stria.
This taxon has been collected from five small lakes, ponds and fens in northwest Montana, where it occurs in low numbers. All of these waters are somewhat acidic (pH 6.0–6.5) with low specific conductance (10–150 µS/cm). The type locality of this species is Bemis Lake in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (Krammer 1997).
This taxon page appeared under the genus Encyonopsis. The page was updated to follow the transfer to Kurtkrammeria made by Bahls (2015). - S. Spaulding
Bahls, L. (2013). Kurtkrammeria subspicula. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved October 30, 2024, from https://diatoms.org/species/kurtkrammeria_subspicula
The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Kurtkrammeria subspicula 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.