vs Flat-headed Kusimanse

Cocconeis disculus compared with Crossarchus platycephalus

Key Differences

• is Not Evaluated while Flat-headed Kusimanse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Flat-headed Kusimanse
Kingdom	Chromista (Chromista)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)	Carnivora (bộ Ăn thịt)
Family	Cocconeidaceae	Herpestidae
Genus	Cocconeis	Crossarchus
Species	Cocconeis disculus	Crossarchus platycephalus

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Flat-headed Kusimanse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Flat-headed Kusimanse
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.

Flat-headed Kusimanse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.