TAXONOMY AND SPECIES COMPOSITION OF EPIPHYTIC ALGAE IN STA. CRUZ RIVER, LAGUNA (PHILIPPINES)

Abstract

Algal epiphytes attached on three dominant aquatic macrophytes (Pistia striatotes, Eichhornia crassipes and Ipomoea aquatic) were investigated as part of a preliminary study on the ecological assessment of Sta. Cruz River, which has been used primarily for agriculture and fishery. In total, 22 algal taxa were identified on the studied macrophytes: 8 Chlorophyta, 4 Cyanobacteria, 7 Bacillariophyta, and 3 Euglenophyta. The taxa in this paper represent 8 classes, 16 orders, 20 families, 22 genera and 22 species based on the latest algal taxonomical nomenclature. Among these taxa, the existence of a rare filamentous cyanobacteria, Planktothrix compressa (Utermöhl) Anagnostidis et Komárek is described for the first time in the Philippines. A species of diatom is also reported in this study for the first time based on recent algal taxonomic nomenclature and this is Ulnaria ulna (Nitzsch) Compère that is based on the former name of Synedra ulna (Nitzsch) Ehrenberg. These taxonomic records proved that aquatic macrophytes represents a unique habitat for novel and diverse types of algal flora, which demands further investigations in the country.