Occurrence of Five Diatom Species in Khor Al-Zubair Lagoon, Southern Iraq with a new record of Cyclotella litoralis Lange & Syvertsen, 1989

Abstract

Khor Al-Zubair lagoon is a vital water body in southern Iraq. Despite the existence of a number of environmental studies in this region, it lacks searches related to the diversity of diatoms especially benthic forms, in light of global climatic changes and their impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, this research was designed to document diatom species that began to colonize this lagoon. The present study was carried out during the period from January to November 2020 in two selected stations at Khor Al-Zubair lagoon, where five species of diatoms were documented and described, including Amphora acuta, Biremis ambigua, Cyclotella litoralis, Lyrella lyra var. subcarinata, and Progonoia musca. The species, C. litoralis is a new record for Iraqi diatom flora.