Diatoms of North AmericaDiatoms of North America
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Compare Nitzschia exilis

Sovereign 1958

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Nitzschia exilis is distinguished from N. columbiana, with which it co-occurs, by being more slender and having much finer fibulae. Sovereign (1958) suggested a resemblance with N. gracilis, differing from that commonly reported species by the fine fibulae and their variation in size within a single individual.

LM scalebar = 10 µm
Nitzschia exilis LM2 Nitzschia exilis LM4 Nitzschia exilis LM5 Nitzschia exilis LM6
Length Range
24-64 µm
Width Range
2-3 µm
Striae in 10 µm
Not visible in the light microscope

Nitzschia columbiana

Sovereign 1958

Columbiana 002 Columbiana 007 Columbiana 005 Columbiana 001 Columbiana 006 Columbiana 003
Length Range
25-70 µm
Width Range
3-5 µm
Striae in 10 µm
Striae not visible to only faintly visible

Nitzschia paleacea

Grunow in Van Heurck 1881

Nitzschia paleacea LM5 Nitzschia paleacea LM1 Nitzschia paleacea LM2 Nitzschia paleacea LM6 Nitzschia paleacea LM4 Nitzschia paleacea LM3
Length Range
15.0-50.0 µm
Width Range
1.5-4.0 µm

Also compare to

Nitzschia gracilis

Hantzsch in Rabenh.

BioData Reference
Krammer and Lange-Bertalot 2/2 Pl 66 Fig 1-11