Diatoms of North AmericaDiatoms of North America

Scoliopleura peisonis

Grunow 1860

Scoliopleura Peisonis Guide
  • Category
    Symmetric Biraphid
  • Length Range
    43.9-85.2 µm
  • Width Range
    11.9-19.7 µm
  • Striae in 10 µm
    15-16

Identification

Scoliopleura peisonis LM1 Scoliopleura peisonis LM2 Scoliopleura peisonis LM3 Scoliopleura peisonis LM4 Scoliopleura peisonis LM5 Scoliopleura peisonis LM6
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Description

Valves are arched and elliptic-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate with cuneate apices. Valves are slightly torqued or twisted. A longitudinal canal is present on each side of the raphe. Proximal raphe ends are hooked in opposite directions. Distal raphe ends are indistinct in these specimens. Striae are nearly parallel and often appear to run diagonally across the valve face. Striae are uniseriate and composed of rather coarse areolae that number 20-22 in 10 µm.

Scoliopleura peisonis is closely related to Muelleria (Spaulding et al. 1999).

Autecology

Specimens of S. peisonis pictured on this website are from Brush Lake, a deep clear lake in the prairie pothole region of northeastern Montana (photos below). On the date of collection, Brush Lake had the following water quality characteristics: conductivity = 5760 µmhos/cm; pH = 9.30; total alkalinity = 1350 mg/L CaCO3; total hardness = 1168 mg/L equivalent CaCO3; Kjeldahl nitrogen = 1.3 mg/L; total phosphorus = 0.018 mg/L; dissolved oxygen = 7.50 mg/L; temperature = 18 C; CO3 = 1070 mg/l; SO4 = 2210 mg/L; Cl = 72.3 mg/L.

In Brush Lake, S. peisonis is part of a remarkable diatom association that includes Surirella crumena, Staurophora amphioxys and other brackish-water species that are typical of coastal waters and inland waters of higher conductivity. This taxon has been reported as “cosmopolitan in waters with high to very high electrolyte content” (Krammer & Lange-Bertalot 1986). It has also been reported from the Great Salt Lake, Utah (Patrick & Reimer 1966)

Brush Lake Brush Lake Sm
Credit: Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Brush Lake, Sheridan County, Montana: home of Surirella crumena.
Brush Lake Doug Smith
Credit: Doug Smith
Brush Lake, Sheridan County, Montana: home of Surirella crumena.
Brush Lake Jim Rea Mdfwp
Credit: Jim Rea, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks
Brush Lake, Sheridan County, Montana: home of Surirella crumena.

Original Description

Cite This Page

Bahls, L. (2017). Scoliopleura peisonis. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved April 16, 2024, from https://diatoms.org/species/scoliopleura_peisonis

Responses

The 15 response plots show an environmental variable (x axis) against the relative abundance (y axis) of Scoliopleura peisonis 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.