Diatom assemblage occurring in streams and springs near Numea, the capital of New Caledonia

Abstract

We collected the attached algal samples in three streams and two spring waters near Numea, the capital of New Caledonia, late in March,2006. In this study, we performed the same sampling method used to collect attached algae on the river bed in Japan, in order to compare the two diatom assemblages. In the Numea samples, the five most dominant diatom taxa were Achnanthes minutissima var. scotica, Cymbella delicatula var. delicatula, C. falaisensis, C. latarea and Encyonema tenerum. These five taxa have never been recorded as dominant in attached diatom assemblages in Japan, however, attached diatom assemblages in streams with clean water are usually dominated by Achnanthes, Cymbella and Encyonema in both New Caledonia and Japan.