A = Vegetative cells (BF); B = Vegetative cells with processes (arrows) (PC)
Life-form: Solitary cells or united in chains
Size: Diameter = 4-25 µm
Resting spore: +
Note: Strong morphological variability. Solitary forms could be confused with C. ceratosporus Ostenfeld. Jensen & Moestrup (1998) put Chaetoceros fallax as synonymous of C. wighamii. Compare Rines & Hargraves (1988) and Castillo et al. (1992), which had a different definition of this species. Probably restricted to brackish water (Hasle & Syvertsen 1996)
Distinctive features: Cells rectangular with drawn up poles and sometimes with a characteristic process in the middle of the valve (Jensen & Moestrup 1998)
Similar species:
Distribution:
Literature:
Castillo, P. M. S., León, M. A. U. & Round, F. E. 1992.
Estudio de Chaetoceros wighamii Brightwell: Un taxon mal
interpretado. Diatom Research. 7: 127-136.
Jensen, K. G. & Moestrup, Ø. 1998. The genus Chaetoceros (Bacillariophyceae) in inner Danish coastal waters. Opera Botanica. 133: 1-68.
Rines, J. E. B. & Hargraves, P. E. 1988. The Chaetoceros Ehrenberg (Bacillariophyceae) flora of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. Bibliotheca Phycologica 79: 1-196.
Sundström, B. 1973. Chaetoceros arter i Öresund. MSc. Thesis Univ. of Lund. 77 pp.
Tangen, K. 1974. Fytoplankton og planktoniske ciliater i en forurenset terskelfjord, Nordåsvatnet i Hordaland (inkludert observasjoner av noen abiotiske faktorer). Institutt for marinbiologi og limnologi, Avd. marin botanikk. In Norwegian. 449 pp.