Chaetoceros curvisetus
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Taxonomic Group: Diatom
Trophic Status: Autotrophic
Size Range: 9.5-12.5 μm wide (LUMCON Guide); 7-30 μm wide (Cupp 1943, Tomas 1997); 14-15 μm wide (Rines and Hargraves (1988)
Key Characteristics: Colonies C-shaped with adjacent cells touching at corners; moderately stiff setae arise from corners of cells and are all bent toward the outside of the curved axis; one chloroplast
Confused With: Chaetoceros debilis, which also has spirally twisted chains and outward directed setae, but has a smaller radius of curvature and tends to look more hairy because of thinner setae
Toxin: None known