Diatoms of North AmericaDiatoms of North America

Surirella crumena

Bréb. ex Kütz. 1849

Surirella Crumena Guide
  • Category
    Surirelloid
  • Length Range
    44.9-84.8 µm
  • Width Range
    39.2-70.0 µm
  • Striae in 10 µm
    13-19
  • Synonyms
    Surirella ovata var. crumena (Bréb.) Hust. 1930

Identification

Surirella crumena LM7 Surirella crumena LM5 Surirella crumena LM4 Surirella crumena LM2 Surirella crumena LM1
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Description

Valves are nearly circular in shape and only slightly heteropolar with broadly rounded apices. Valve width ranges from 83% to 97% of valve length and averages 89%. Valve faces are nearly flat with one or two shallow undulations. A distinct axial area and transverse ribs or porcae are absent. The costae on the valve face number 13-19 in 10 µm. Some costae are thicker and raised above the others where they merge with the fibulae. The marginal fibulae number 3.5-5 in 10 µm.

Autecology

The specimens of Surirella crumena 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. crumena is part of a remarkable diatom association that includes Scoliopleura peisonis, Staurophora amphioxys, and other brackish-water species that are typical of coastal waters and inland waters of higher conductivity. Witkowski et al. (2000) report S. crumena as "widespread in brackish-waters of the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts". The Brush Lake diatom flora may be a relict of the flora that populated the shallow inland sea that covered much of the Great Plains until about 55 million years ago.

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

42) S. Crumena. Bréb. in litt. — S. a latere secundario orbiculare-ovata; striis marginalibus evidentissimus, in 1/100''' parte 7—8. — Long. 1/50'''; latit. 1/56'''. Prope Falaise: De Brébisson! (No. 28). (v. s.)

  • Author
    Bréb. in Kütz. 1849

Original Images

Surirella Crumena Origdesc

Cite This Page

Bahls, L. (2017). Surirella crumena. In Diatoms of North America. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://diatoms.org/species/surirella_crumena

Responses

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