Adlafia maval sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta) from the Western Ghats, India and comments on the distribution of the genus

Adlafia maval sp. nov., a new diatom species from the Mula-Mutha River Basin, situated in the Northern Western Ghats, India, has been studied using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The new species is characterised by the valve outline, small valve dimensions, and high striae density converging at the apices. The valves have a narrow axial area with the terminal and central raphe ends deflected in opposite directions. Adlafia maval was found in epilithic habitats from neutral to slightly alkaline pH freshwater with intermediate conductance. The morphological features of the new taxon are compared with other closely related taxa of Adlafia. The global distribution of the genus Adlafia is presented in this work suggesting its endemic distribution worldwide and the need for further morphological and molecular investigations of the genus.