Morphology, ecology and distribution of Actinella brasiliensis (Eunotiaceae, Bacillariophyta), a rare species for Russia

Actinella brasiliensis, a rare diatom for Russia, was first found in Yakutia. As previous detailed studies of this species using SEM are limited, we provide an amended description of its morphology, as well as a comparison of our data with the results of previous studies. Lectotype of the species based on original figure in Grunow’s protologue designated in this article. Based on morphometric and morphological similarity, we propose to consider A. brasiliensis var. curta and A. brasiliensis var. cuneata as synonyms of the type variety. The distribution of the species in Russia is expanded.