Algal factsheet: Gomphonema (Gomphonemataceae)
Diagnostic features
Valves identical, each possessing a raphe (genus is biraphid). Smaller than Gomphoneis. Valves asymmetric, with one pointed end and the other end bluntly rounded (club-shaped valve), lobed (violin-shaped valve), or pointed (but still slightly asymmetric; may be subtle). Wedge-shaped in girdle view. Attached to surfaces (including other algae) by short mucilaginous stalks.
Typical habitats
All sorts of streams and riversClassification
Kingdom | Chromista |
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Phylum | Ochrophyta |
Subphylum | Khakista |
Class | Bacillariophyceae |
Order | Cymbellales |
Family | Gomphonemataceae |
Common name | Diatoms |