vs

Cocconeis disculus compared with Cocconeis neodiminuta

Taxonomic Classification

Rank
Kingdom same	Chromista (Chromista)	Chromista (Chromista)
Phylum same	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class same	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order same	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)
Family same	Cocconeidaceae	Cocconeidaceae
Genus same	Cocconeis	Cocconeis
Species	Cocconeis disculus	Cocconeis neodiminuta

Evolutionary Relationship

and share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Cocconeis.

Ansehen Genus: Cocconeis

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

Habitat

Native to Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

Cocconeis disculus is a freshwater and brackish-water diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae—the diatoms, a group of unicellular photosynthetic algae encased in ornate silica cell walls called frustules. Like all members of the genus Cocconeis, C. disculus is an adnate, epiphytic species, meaning it lives attached to substrates—typically the surfaces of aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, and sediment particles—rather than living freely in the water column. The frustule of Cocconeis species is distinctive in its bilateral symmetry and the characteristic difference between its two valves: the rapheless valve (RV) lacks the raphe slit present on the raphe valve (RV), a feature used in species identification. Cocconeis disculus has been documented from freshwater bodies across South America and various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution reflecting its tolerance of a range of water temperatures and nutrient conditions. Diatoms like C. disculus are foundational components of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon through photosynthesis and providing a nutritious food source for grazing invertebrates, protists, and larval fish. The species also contributes to the biosilica cycle through the production and dissolution of its silica frustule. As a benthic, substrate-attached organism, Cocconeis disculus serves as a sensitive bioindicator of water quality conditions in freshwater monitoring programs. Its conservation status is not formally evaluated.

Cocconeis neodiminuta is a small, adnate diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, distinguished from related species within the genus by its diminutive frustule size and specific silica wall ornamentation patterns resolvable by electron microscopy. As a member of the genus Cocconeis, this species is an epiphytic organism that lives attached to the surfaces of aquatic plants, filamentous algae, sediment particles, and submerged solid substrates in freshwater and occasionally brackish environments. The frustule—the intricate silica cell wall that encases the diatom cell—consists of two overlapping halves (valves) with species-specific striation patterns and pore fields (areolae) used in taxonomic identification. Cocconeis neodiminuta has been documented from freshwater environments across South America and various other regions, suggesting a broad cosmopolitan distribution consistent with many freshwater diatom taxa. The species, like other cocconeid diatoms, reproduces primarily by asexual binary fission, with periodic sexual reproduction through auxospore formation to restore cell size after successive divisions cause progressive size reduction. As a photosynthetic primary producer in benthic communities, this diatom contributes to the base of aquatic food webs and participates in the biological cycling of silicon—an element critical to diatom frustule production and removed from solution as diatoms proliferate. Its conservation status has not been evaluated by the IUCN.