From the plankton of Lake Kukushkino, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia), a species identified as Actinella punctata Lewis was isolated, and a culture of it was established. Field-collected material and cultures were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy, and a detailed morphological description of the species was given. For the first time, a molecular analysis of the type of the genus Actinella was prepared. These molecular data show Actinella punctata is more closely related to certain species of Eunotia, indicating that the genus Eunotia is not monophyletic. The work examines in detail the history of the description of the genus Actinella Lewis, provides brief information about the distribution of this genus in the ecosystems of the world and discusses the morphology of other members of the family Eunotiaceae. |
