Angusticopula rowlingiana, a new melosiroid diatom (Bacillariophyta) from Ascension Island (South Atlantic Ocean) Author Vijver, Bart Van De University of Antwerp, Department of Biology, ECOBE, Universiteitsplein 1, B- 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerpen, Belgium Author Wilfert, Sandra Author Houk, Vaclav Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Botany, Dukelskaì 135, CZ- 379 82 Trebon, Czech Republic Author John, David M. Department of Life Sciences, Diversity and Informatics Division, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW 7 5 BD, UK text Phytotaxa 2019 2019-01-15 388 2 155 160 http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.388.2.1 journal article 302540 10.11646/phytotaxa.388.2.1 9fce5020-5757-449c-beaa-14d8a8820385 1179-3163 13725457 Angusticopula rowlingiana Van de Vijver, Wilfert, D.M.John & Houk sp. nov. ( Figs 1–18 ) LM ( Figs 1–12 ): Frustules cylindrical to short barrel-shaped. Cells always solitary, chains, even short ones, never observed. Numerous discoid plastids present. Valve diameter (n=50): 11.0–15.0 μm, valve height 5.5–6.5 μm. Valves dome-shaped with a relatively low mantle and rounded, flat valve face. Internal valves occasionally present. SEM ( Figs 13–18 ): Valves clearly flat with a low mantle ( Fig. 13 ). Spines absent ( Fig. 15 ). Valves perforated by an irregular pattern of very small, rounded areolae, never arranged into a regular striation pattern ( Fig. 16 ). Valve face/mantle junction covered with small, rounded granules surrounding the entire valve margin ( Figs 15, 16 ). Cingulum composed of a large number of narrow, open, unperforated ligulate copulae ( Figs 13–14 ). Copulae fimbriate on the lower part ( Fig. 14 , black arrows). Internal valves dome-shaped ( Figs 13, 14 ), perforated by a regular pattern of small pores. Small granules covering the internal valves with a higher concentration of conical granules in the lower part of the internal valves ( Fig. 14 , white arrows). Internally, irregular ring of rather large rimoportulae present near the mantle edge ( Fig. 17 , arrows). Internal valve surface perforated by numerous small areolae ( Fig. 18 ). Type :— Ascension Island , Atlantic Ocean, Sample Bamboo ( 14°20’51.53”W / 7°57’6.48”S ) (leg. S. Pressel & J. Duckett, April/ May 2014 ) ( holotype BR !, slide no. 4539, isotype PLP ! slide no. 354, University of Antwerp, Belgium ). Etymology :—The species is named after the famous British writer Mrs. J.K. Rowling to honor her for all her efforts to make children read books again, a first step in a possible future career as a scientist. Ecology & Distribution :— Angusticopula rowlingiana was extremely dominant in a very wet moss sample taken from a moss ball associated with bamboo roots on Green Mountain. The sample was further characterized by the presence of Eunotia meridioatlantica Van de Vijver et al. (2018: 231) and several Humidophila species.