Amphora ostrearia Brébisson ex Kützing var. ostrearia
Division: Chromophyta
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Bacillariales
Suborder: Bacillariineae
Family: Catenulaceae Mereschkowsky
Genus: Amphora Ehrenberg
Scientific name: Amphora ostrearia Brébisson ex Kützing var. ostrearia
Species: ostrearia
Variety: ostrearia
References:
Hendey, 1964: p. 266, Pl. XXXVIII: 5; Ricard, 1987: p. 261,Fig. 922; Witkowski et al., 2000: p. 146, Pl. 170: 23.
Description:
Frustules subrectangular or oblong-elliptic, with rounded ends. Valves with arcuate dorsal margins and straight ventral margins; apices acute; valves striate, more clearly marked on the dorsal side; striae 12-16 in 10 µm. Central nodule is dilated transversely to produce a stauros. Girdle is composed of numerous longitudinal narrow bands which appear as lines, striated similar to the valves. Chromatophores: numerous cocciform bodies. Length of valve 56-66 µm
(Hendey, 1964).
Dimensions:
Cells length 45 µm; width 11 µm.
Distribution:
Mainly littoral species, but is frequently found in the plankton.
Sites of occurrence in RSA:
In Winter 2006 Cruise, this species was frequently observed (refer sites map), often in large numbers; maximum abundance (2.1*10^3 cells/l) was associated with the Sea of Oman (St. 97). It has been previously reported from Kuwaiti waters of the inner RSA (Al-Kandari et al., 2009).