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Diatom flora of marine coasts I. ANDRZEJ WITKOWSKI, HORST LANGE-BERTALOT AND DITMAR METZELTIN. 2000. In: Iconographia Diatomologica, vol. 7, Diversity-Taxonomy-Identification (Ed. by H. Lange-Bertalot). 925 pp. A.R.G. Gantner, Ruggell, Germany. euro 200, US$200 (distributed by Koeltz Scientific Books, Herrnwaldstrasse 6, D-61462 Konigstein, Germany; http://www.koeltz.com) [hardback: ISBN: 3-904144-- 10-31.
Identification of diatoms from coastal environments, and especially benthic diatoms, has always been problematic. For freshwater environments, there is a recently published, complete flora, the 'Susswasserflora von Mitteleuropa' [K. Krammer & H. Lange-Bertalot. 1986-1991. Bacillariophyceae. In: Susswasserflora von Mitteleuropa (Ed. by H. Ettl, J. Gerloff, H. Heynig & D. Mollenhauer). G. Fischer, Stuttgart & Jena], which is used worldwide, despite its title; for the marine diatom flora, no general text is available. Although some important works are available for the identification of planktonic marine diatoms, particularly Hasle & Syvertsen's account [G.R. Hasle & E.E. Syvertsen. 1996. Marine diatoms. In: Identifying marine diatoms and dinoflagellates (Ed. by C.R. Tomas). Academic Press], research in benthic environments has to make do with older works, such as Hendey [N.I. Hendey. 1964. An introductory account of the smaller algae of British coastal waters. Part V. Bacillariophyceae (diatoms). H.M.S.O., London] or even Peragallo & Peragallo (H. Peragallo & M. Peragallo. 1897-1908. Diatomees marines de France et des districts maritimes voisins. Micrographie-Editeur, Grez-sur-Loing), and numerous papers scattered throughout the literature. Having worked in estuarine and marine environments myself, I have experienced the difficulties caused by having to leaf through numerous (often obscure) papers before it is possible, finally, sometimes, to come up with a satisfactory identification. Often, the analysis of type material is necessary. We therefore greeted the announcement of the first volume of a diatom flora of marine coasts, the `equivalent of the "Susswasserflora von Mitteleuropa"' [Diatom flora of marine coasts I (hereinafter DFMC), p. 7] for the marine littoral, with great expectations. I especially admired the audacity with which the authors commenced this seemingly impossible task. Revising and critically assessing the thousands of marine taxa described, rooting through the existing literature and collections, and finally producing a robust identification work could not be done easily. But as I reviewed this first volume of the DFMC, it soon became clear that it simply had not been done.
This first volume is huge (925...