vs Delicate Slender Opossum

Cocconeis disculus compared with Marmosops parvidens

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Delicate Slender Opossum is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Delicate Slender Opossum
Kingdom	Chromista (クロミスタ)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (オクロ植物)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Bacillariophyceae (クサリケイソウ綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)	Didelphimorphia (Didelphimorphia)
Family	Cocconeidaceae	Didelphidae
Genus	Cocconeis	Marmosops
Species	Cocconeis disculus	Marmosops parvidens

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Delicate Slender Opossum

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Delicate Slender Opossum
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.

Delicate Slender Opossum

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela.

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.