Diatoms of North AmericaDiatoms of North America
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Compare Nitzschia paleacea

Grunow in Van Heurck 1881

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Nitzschia paleacea is more slender and has more gradually tapered apices than N. palea, N. palea var. debilis, and N. palea var. tenuirostris. Nitzschia paleacea is further distinguished from these taxa by the presence of a central gap. Nitzschia exilis lacks a central gap in fibulae.

LM scalebar = 10 µm
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

Nitzschia palea var. tenuirostris

Grunow in Van Heurck 1881

Nitzschia palea var tenuirostris LM3 Nitzschia palea var tenuirostris LM5 Nitzschia palea var tenuirostris LM1 Nitzschia palea var tenuirostris LM4 Nitzschia palea var tenuirostris LM2
Length Range
20-36 µm
Width Range
2.5-3.5 µm
Striae in 10 µm
difficult to resolve in LM

Nitzschia palea

(Kütz.) W.Sm. 1856

Nitzschia palea LM4 Nitzschia palea LM5 Nitzschia palea LM7 Nitzschia palea LM6 Nitzschia palea LM2 Nitzschia palea LM3 Nitzschia palea LM1
Length Range
12-42 µm
Width Range
3-4 µm
Striae in 10 µm
36-38

Nitzschia palea var. debilis

(Kütz.) Grunow in Cleve and Grunow 1880

Debilis 005 Debilis 004 Debilis 003 Debilis 001 Debilis 002
Length Range
20-30 µm
Width Range
2.5-3.0 µm
Striae in 10 µm
Striae not visible with LM

Nitzschia exilis

Sovereign 1958

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