Valves are disc shaped. The valve face is flat, and is often colliculate. A single, central fultoportula is located in the center valve, across the valve face from the single rimoportula. The rimoportula is located at the central end of a shortened stria. Alveolate striae extend 1/3 of the radius from the valve margin. The alveolate striae end irregularly, resulting in an irregularly shaped central area. Internal foramen of the striae are visible in larger specimens, near valve face margin. The alveolate striae occur 16-20 in 10 µm (total striae count vs valve circumference) or 17-22 in 10 µm (tangential chord count).
Lindavia delicatula is a species found in the plankton of large lakes. It was found at greater than 5% abundance in the summer phytoplankton of the Laurentian Great Lakes (Barbiero and Tuchman 2001). It is typically found in conditions of low total phosphorus and low chloride, and its presence is indicative of pristine conditions, (Reavie and Kireta 2015).
Cyclotella delicatula nov. spec. Frustula in catenas densas conjuncta. Valvae circulares subplanae, diametro 5-13 µ. Zona marginalis lata, circiter 1/2-1/3 longitudinalis radii, delicate striata, striis radiantibus circiter 17 in 10 µ. striis validioribus intercalatis absentibus. Area media sine structura, sed cum puncto singulo. Fig. 34-36.
Burge, D., Edlund, M. (2015). Lindavia delicatula. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved November 23, 2024, from https://diatoms.org/species/lindavia_delicatula
The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Lindavia delicatula 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.