It looks like the bigest known centric diatom is Ethmodiscus rex, which frustule can be bigger than 1 mm.
Do you know the other biggest centric diatom(s)?
Which centric diatoms are the smallest?
Regarding freshwater diatoms, Stephanodiscus giganteus (a fossil found in Pleistocene diatomite from Klamath Lake, USA) is reported to have a maximum diameter of 180 microns (see Houk et al. 2014, Atlas of freshwater centric diatoms, part IV, Stephanodiscaceae). Otherwise in Lake BaikaL, the endemic Cyclotella baicalensis can reach 150 microns in diameter (Russian book by Popovskaya et al. 2011, Diatoms of the plankton of Lake Baikal, atlas and key).
At the other end of the size spectrum, some Discostella can have very small diameter: Discostella woltereckii var. minor has a reported minimum diameter of 1.9 microns (Oberg et al. 2009, Diatom Research 24, pp 341-356). Also Cyclotella pseudostelligera fo. diminuta (it seems this form has never been formally transferred to Discostella) was reported to have a diameter of 1.5 microns (Manguin 1954). Otherwise, Discostella pseudostelligera as illustrated in Scheffler & Morabito (2003, J of Limnology, 62: 47-60), has a minimum diameter of 2.3 microns.
Saul, do you mean Ethmodiscus rex? Could you provide a reference where these dimensions are given?
Round, F. E. (1980). Forms of the giant diatom Ethmodiscus from the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Phycologia, 19(4), 307-316.
"In spite of its large size - up to 2 mm in diameter - and its frequent occurrence in the tropical phytoplankton assemblage this diatom has received very little attention"
(with no reference to a particular species)
Dimensions of Synedra fulgens can go up to 450 microns, in Hustedt, F. 1985. The Pennate Diatoms ( a translation of Hustedt's "Die Kieselalgen, 2. teil" with supplement by Jensen N.G.). Koeltz scientific books.
Ethmodiscus rex
Diameter: 0.69- 1.9 mm see table I in Rivera et al. 1989.
Rivera, P., Avaria, S. & H. Barrales. 1989. Ethmodiscus rex (Wallich) Hendey (Bacillariophyceae) collected by net sampling off the coast of northern Chile. Diatom Research 4(1): 131-142.
If you are asking what has the longest dimension in centric diatom single cells, that is different than diameter of the cell. Members of the Rhizosolenia (sensu Round) can reach 700 microns in length, but are 20 microns or less in diameter. Minidiscus is ~2 microns.
Paul V Zimba, Lifachuk & Fedorov in their work mention (Table 2), that max length of Proboscis alata is 1300 mkm, and max length of Pseudosolenia calcar-avis is 1000 mkm, in summer in the Black Sea.
In any case thay you for the answer.
Article Change of ecological strategies in the phytoplankton communi...
I've found a paper (1962)
Very Small Diatoms: Preliminary Notes and Description of Chaetoceros galvestonensis
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/136/3518/780
But it contain only one sketch, and there are no any SEM photos of this diatom species - Chaetoceros galvestonensis.
Please make sure you are talking about single cells of Rhizosolenia or Proboscidia.
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