Abstract
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region that is a significant reservoir of species diversity. In free-living protists, the ratio of local to global diversity may help to identify hotspots within certain taxonomic groups.
In this study, we concentrated on silica-scaled chrysophytes of lakes and wetland habitats of Aquitaine, south-western France. With fifty-eight identified taxa the Aquitaine region represents one of the world biodiversity hotspots of Synurales.
Moreover, several rare and/or endemic species were recorded in this region. We report frequent occurrence of Mallomonas adamas not only in peaty pools but also in mesotrophic to eutrophic lakes.
Mallomonas alata f. hualvensis and M. alphaphora lost the status of a South American and Australian endemics, respectively. Microphotographs of M. koreana scales and bristles, obtained in a transmission electron microscope, are provided.
Mallomonas koreana has been described recently by means of scanning electron microscopy. Mallomonas phasma is reported for the second time since its original description in 1960.
We also provide a figure of the whole cell armor of M. tubulosa including the description of bristles, which have not been observed yet. High density of waterbodies in the Aquitaine region, comprising diverse meso- and oligotrophic habitats, may provide a rich regional pool of Synurales resulting in the high diverse communities on a local level.