A Coded List of Freshwater Algae of the British Isles
Second Edition
Authors
Prof. Brian A. Whitton, School of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE
Dr David M. John, Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD
Dr Martyn G. Kelly, Bowburn Consultancy, 11 Monteigne Drive, Bowburn, Durham DH6 5QB
Dr Elizabeth Y. Haworth, Freshwater Biological Association, Ferry House, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 0LP
Preparation of dictionary for publication by:
C. Isabella Tindall, Centre for Hydrology & Ecology, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8BB
The colour photographs were taken by Peter York (The Natural History Museum) under DIC (differential interference contrast) light microscopy except for the one in the centre of the front cover which was under natural day light and photographed by David John (The Natural History Museum).
The revised version of the dictionary was supported by the Environment Agency of England and Wales and managed by Jane Jamieson at the Environment Agency, Evenload House, Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxon OX10 8BD.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the many phycologists who helped to prepare this Coded List, including those contributing to the 'The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles'.
They include:
Red algae by R. G. Sheath (California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92092-001, USA)
Euglenophytes by K. Wolowski (Instytut Botaniki, Polska Akademia Nauk, Lubicz 46, 31-512 Krakow, Poland)
Dinoflagellates by J. M. Lewis (School of Biological and Health Sciences, University of Westminster, 115 New Cavendish St, London W1M 8JS)
and J. D. Dodge (c/o Department of Biology, Royal Holloway & Bedford New College, Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX)
Chrysophytes by J. Kristiansen (Department of Phycology, Botanical Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2D, Copenhagen K, DK-1353, Denmark)
Diatoms by R. J. Flower (Environmental Change Research Centre, University College London, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AP)
and K. J. Clarke, Decoy House, Browston, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 9DP
Chlorococcales by P. M. Tsarenko (Department of Spore Plants, M. G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Tereshchenkivska Street 2, 252601 Kyiv-MSP-1, Ukraine)
Desmids by A. J. Brook (c/o University of Buckingham, Buckingham MK18 1EG) and
D.B. Williamson (15 Brocks Hill Drive, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5RE)
Filamentous Conjugales by L. R. Johnson (Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD)
Charophytes by J.A. Bryant (Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD)
and N.F. Stewart (Cholwell Cottage, Posbury, near Crediton, Devon EX17 3QE)
Purpose
The purpose of this Coded List is to help those researchers wanting to collect and store information on freshwater and terrestrial algae in the British Isles, by providing a standard set of names and identifying codes. It also includes brackish and marine blue-green algae, but excludes colourless algae. The great majority of known records are listed, though many groups, such as the euglenophytes, are in urgent need of further surveys. For diatoms, but not other groups, some taxa have been allocated codes without the existence of firm records, because it is seems likely that they will eventually be found. Information as to whether or not there is a British Isles record is included in the information for each diatom species. Information about a few species among the other groups whose taxonomic status is unclear can be found in a new flora (see below).
This Second Edition supercedes the one published in 1998. The 1998 version is based on, and much expanded from, the 1978 publication 'A Coded List of 1000 Freshwater Algae of the British Isles' (Whitton, Holmes & Sinclair) prepared for the then Water Data Unit of the Department of the Environment. The differences reflect new records, nomenclatural changes and, in a few cases, errors in the previous numbers. Most taxa apart from the diatoms are included in The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles (edited by D.M. John, B.A. Whitton and A.J. Brook, 2002, Cambridge University Press and the Natural History Museum), though some were added or corrected in a second printing of this book (2003) and a few more added here. The diatom list has also been improved considerably, including firm records for some species which were allocated codes in 1998, but for which records did not then exist. More information about the codes for diatoms is given in a separate section below.
Copyright and intellectual property rights
The Coded List is the copyright of the Natural Environment Research Council's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and is available for general use by staff of CEH, the Environment Agency of England and Wales, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and the Environment and Heritage Service, Northern Ireland. Other users are welcome to download a copy of the Coded List for their local use, but it must not be incorporated into other lists and databases without permission from the authors.
Please cite the Coded List as follows: Whitton BA, John DM, Kelly MG, Haworth EY (2003) A Coded List of Freshwater Algae of the British Isles. Second Edition. World-wide Web electronic publication (Remember!!)
Format and Availability of the Coded List
The Coded List can be downloaded as an Excel file from the Download page. Prior to downloading we would appreciate it if you would complete the brief form so that we can establish the range of users of this Coded List.
If you would like to see the changes made to the diatoms between the 1998 version and this one, you can download an Excel file by clicking here.
If you would like to download a Word document containing this explanatory text, please click here.
The Bibliography, which compliments the Coded List can be downloaded as a Word document here.
How to use the List
Introduction
The Coded List includes all British species and many infraspecific taxa of freshwater, slightly brackish and terrestrial algae. Colourless parasites are excluded and colourless free-living forms are listed as the genus, only in the Euglenophyta, Cryptophyta and Volvocales.
The following sections give explanations of the information within the Coded List. Particular attention is paid to the 8-digit code. Once you have become familiar with its use, accessing the Coded List for straightforward taxonomic records should be largely intuitive.
Categories used for information in the Coded List
Listed below is the column number, abbreviated column heading and full name or meaning of the columns used in the Excel file.
| Column Number |
Column heading | Column heading |
| 1 | CODE | 8-digit code |
| 2 | OLDCODE | Old (1978) 6-digit code and in the 1998 version (in a few cases) 8-digit code |
| 3 | HAB | If marine (applicable only to blue-green algae and diatoms) |
| 4 | GENUS | Genus |
| 5 | SPECIES | Species |
| 6 | AUTHORITY | Authority |
| 7 | INFRATAXON | Infraspecific taxon |
| 8 | AUTHORITY INFRATAXON | Authority for infraspecific taxon |
| 9 | SYNONYM1 | Synonym 1 |
| 10 | AUTHORITY SYN1 | Authority for synonym 1 |
| 11 | INFRASPECIFIC TAXON SYN1 | Infraspecific taxon of synonym 1 |
| 12 | AUTH INFRATAXON SYN1 | Authority for infraspecific taxon of synonym 1 |
| 13 | SYNONYM2 | Synonym 2 |
| 14 | AUTHORITY SYN2 | Authority for synonym 2 |
| 15 | INFRASPECIFIC TAXON SYN2 | Infraspecific taxon of synonym 2 |
| 16 | AUTH INFRATAXON SYN2 | Authority for infraspecific taxon of synonym 2 |
| 17 | OTHER LITERATURE | Other relevant taxonomic literature |
| 18 | LITERATURE BRIT ISLES | Literature for records in British Isles |
| 19 | FINALISED BRITISH RECORD | Whether British record (diatoms only) |
The sections that follow give descriptions for those categories whose meaning is not self-explanatory.
The 8-digit Code
The purpose of the Code is to provide a key for labelling data about the various taxa in computer systems. The Code uses eight digits for coding each taxon, as opposed to the six used in the Coded List of 1000 Freshwater Algae of the British Isles. The reason for this is both to accommodate the large number of species in some genera and also to make the Coded List more like the check-list of freshwater animals (Maitland, 1977) used for water management bodies in the U.K. By having a fixed width key, searching the Coded List and data coded with this key is relatively easy in spreadsheets and databases.
Further information about the 8-digit Code can be found by clicking here.
The Old (1978) 6-digit Code
The present Coded List permits records with the 1978 Coded List to be converted automatically to the present form. However, there are a few cases where the limit of the present taxon is slightly different from that used previously and it may be impossible to choose a reliable code for the present system. This occurs, for instance, where former records were made only to the genus, but the genus has now been split. Old records for taxa incorporating species widths need to be checked individually.
Authorities
The abbreviations and other conventions follow those given by Brummitt and Powell (1992), apart from the spelling of Grunow (rather than Grunov). No doubt there are still minor errors, but in some cases it would have required checking the original paper to ensure who was the correct author. Dates have been retained for all groups except the blue-green algae, but can be found for the latter in Whitton (2002).
Synonyms
A maximum of two synonyms has been included, but this total has not always been used even where three names exist, if a particular synonym seems obscure. When looking at the tables of synonyms (see the columns in the Coded List labelled Synonym1 and Synonym2), caution should be used when converting one name to another, because the limits for the two taxa are not always identical. Reference to the original sources or a flora is advised before making blanket conversions of 'difficult' taxonomic groups.
Records for the British Isles
The Excel file includes the digit 1 in column 19 to indicate that there is a record for the British Isles. Apart from some diatoms, there are records for all taxa listed.
Those papers with details of records for the British Isles, which were given in the 1978 Coded List, are also quoted here, together with a few further examples. In many cases reference is made to the relevant section in the ‘Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles’. However, the list is far from comprehensive.
General Comments
Cyanophyta (Blue-green Algae)
A considerable number of ill-defined taxa have been recorded for the British Isles by several authors, usually based on nothing more than a slight difference in cell width from that of well-known species. Some of these have been omitted. Only some of the taxonomic revisions by K. Anagnostidis and J. Komárek have been adopted (mostly for Chroococcales), but many of their other names are given as synonyms. More information about decisions affecting nomenclature and codes is given by Whitton (2002).
Species occurring in marine habitats are listed as M in column 3. Most of these are exclusively marine, but some also occur in brackish or freshwater environments.
No fully substantiated record for prochlorophytes (organisms with chlorophyll b) has yet been made for the British Isles, but it seems very probable that this is due to lack of enough critical observations on narrow Oscillatoria-like forms from ponds and shallow lakes. A code at the level of major taxon has been allocated for any eventual record, though it is now clear there is no justification for separating these organisms from the main group of blue-green algae.
Eukaryotes other than diatoms
All species listed are recorded from the British Isles. For practical reasons, the subdivision of Chorophyta largely follows the traditional classification rather than the more radical rearrangements that have been proposed based upon recent ultrastructural and molecular research. One problem in adopting the new and continually-refined classes and orders is that a great many genera cannot be assigned to them until they have been investigated using modern techniques. The current instability of the classification is one of the principle reasons for grouping orders under a single 2-digit major taxon code (e.g. 19 for Volvocales and Tetrasporales; 24 for Chaetophorales, Ulotrichales, Microsporales etc. In order to preserve stability in the coding, some genera are retained under those orders to which they have been traditionally assigned. This applies to several genera transferred from the traditionally defined Chaetophorales into the Klebsormidiales and the Chlorococcales (e.g. Apatococcus, Cylindrocapsa). Many species considered 'doubtful' in The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles (2002) are not included unless mentioned in the earlier edition. A number of taxonomic changes have been proposed since and just prior to publication of the flora. Some have been accepted but in other cases the suggested taxonomic recombinations are placed under the synonymy of the name used in the flora. If a taxonomic name is accepted then the 8-digit code number used in the earlier version of the Coded List is placed in the 'Old Code' number column.
Diatoms
The rich flora, substantial taxonomic changes, very inadequate representation in the 1978 Coded List and frequent new records all make production of a Coded List for diatoms a special problem. The first version of this listed included all taxa given in Hartley (1986) and Hartley et al. (1996) along with all further taxa given by Krammer and Lange-Bertalot (1986-1991). The latter were marked as no record (0), unless there was a reliable record for the British Isles that is not included in either Hartley (1986) or Hartley et al. (1996). The taxonomy was updated, as far as possible, to correspond with that of Round et al. (1990) and several genera that were described subsequently (e.g. Planothidium; Round & Bukhtiyarova, 1996) were also included.
The 1998 edition of the Coded List identified a problem, as in many cases not all representatives of each ‘new’ genus had been published validly. A number of species and infraspecific taxa appeared, on a superficial examination, to ‘belong’ to one of the new genera, but had never been transferred formally. For example, Fragilaria brevistriata is now Pseudostaurosira brevistriata and the new combination was published by Williams and Round (1987). However, no new combination appears to have been published for Fragilaria brevistriata var. turgida. Without a detailed study, it is not possible to say whether this variety is a legitimate variety, a species in its own right or, alternatively, is not worthy of varietal status. However, it has to be listed here in some form or another.
We contemplated publication of new combinations in all instances where this problem arose; however, this would have been a desk study, without examination of type material would have been no more than tidying up nomenclatural loose-ends and, perhaps, propagating errors created by earlier taxonomists who lacked modern resources. A rash of papers with similar intent compounded the problem and some of the authors of these papers appeared to be treading the same ground and thus adding to the overall confusion.
The approach adopted in this version of the list is a compromise: all taxa have the most recent name that is published legitimately, even where common sense suggests that a recombination is appropriate. However, the 8-digit code (which has no formal taxonomic legitimacy) follows a pragmatic, common sense approach, grouping infraspecific taxa with the appropriate species, regardless of the ‘valid’ name. So, using the example above, Pseudostaurosira brevistriata has three varieties. One of these (var. inflata) has been formally transferred to Pseudostaurosira, whilst the other two are still, according to the rules of nomenclature, varieties of Fragilaria brevistriata. However, all three varieties have 8-digit codes that link them to Pseudostaurosira brevistriata, rather than to Fragilaria.
Finally, a large number of new genera have been erected since the 1998 edition, mainly by diatomists working in mainland Europe. In theory, a large number of taxa that have been recorded from Britain and Ireland should be transferred to these genera. Examples include the genus Hippodonta for Navicula capitata and allies, and Ulnaria for Synedra ulna and allies. We have retained the well-established names until taxonomists have had longer to assess the evidence given in these publications, but have tried to give the new names as synonyms wherever possible.
In total, there are 240 changes from the first (1998) edition of this list, of which 19 represent taxa that were overlooked previously, and the rest represent nomenclatural changes, ranging from correcting typographical errors to adding new synonyms or updating to take account of new combinations. 25 records in the first edition were found to be synonyms of taxa elsewhere in the list, and these have been consolidated.
References
Brummitt RK, Powell CE (eds) (1992) Authors of Plant Names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 732 pp.
Clarke K (1994) Pelagodictyon, a new genus of centric diatoms from the Norfolk Broads. Diatom Research 9: 17-26.
Hartley B (1986) A check-list of the freshwater, brackish and marine diatoms of the British Isles and adjoining coastal waters. Journal of the Marine Biological Association, U.K. 66: 531-610.
Hartley B, Barber HG, Carter JR, Sims PA (1996) An Atlas of British Diatoms. Biopress, Bristol. 601 pp.
John DM, Whitton BA, Brook AJ (2002) The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles anIdentification Guide to Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae. Cambridge University Press and the Natural History Museum, Cambridge. 702 pp. Diatoms are excluded.
Krammer K, Lange-Bertalot H (1986-1991) Bacillariophyceae Volumes 2/1, 2/2, 2/3, 2/4. Süsswasserflora von Mitteleuropa. Gustav Fischer Verlag, Jena.
Maitland PS (1977) A Coded Checklist of Animals Occurring in Fresh Water in the British Isles. Natural Environment Research Council, Institute of Freshwater Ecology, Edinburgh. 76 pp. Round FE, Bukhtiyarova L (1996) Four new genera based on Achnanthes (Achnanthidium) together with a re-definition of Achnanthidium. Diatom Research 11: 345-361.
Round FE, Crawford RM, Mann DG (1990) The Diatoms: Biology and Morphology of the Genera. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 747 pp.
Whitton, BA (2002) Phylum (Cyanophyta). In John DM, Whitton BA, Brook AJ (eds) The Freshwater Algal Flora of the British Isles an Identification Guide to Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae. pp. 25-122. Cambridge University Press and The Natural History Museum, London.
Whitton BA, Holmes NTH, Sinclair C (1978) A Coded List of 1000 Freshwater Algae of the British Isles. Water Data Unit, Department of the Environment, Reading Bridge House, Reading. 335 pp.
Requesting Amendments to the Dictionary
Many users will wish for particular changes to be made to this Coded List. The authors would like to maintain an up-to-date version and invite users to send comments and suggestions. Ideally, such information should be sent by email, but this is not essential. Unfortunately, we cannot promise to respond to all such comments or to incorporate all suggestions, because, at the time of publication, there is no financial support for this purpose.
Eventually, we would like to incorporate information from other types of Coded List used for selected groups of algae elsewhere in Europe to permit rapid conversion of records between different systems.
Written suggestions or email messages should be sent to:
Prof. Brian A. Whitton
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
University of Durham Durham DH1 3LE
UK
E-mail: b.a.whitton@durham.ac.uk
