Notification of Recent Name Changes for Cyanobacteria Adopted and Reported by AWQC

From the 16st of December 2015, the Australian Water Quality Centre will be making several name changes to common species of freshwater cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). The taxonomic name changes are detailed the table below. This represents the first round of taxonomic changes to be made, with additional taxonomic changes (covering both algae and cyanobacteria) expected to be implemented in 2016.

The adoption of these changes is consistent with other water testing laboratories in Australia and overseas and is in most instances the result of the application of gene-based molecular techniques to the study of phylogenetic relationships between related organisms. The majority of the name changes that will be reported are for species of phytoplankton that can form naturally occurring blooms with adverse effects on water quality.

Of particular note is the change in name of the potentially toxic cyanobacteria – Anabaena circinalis to Dolichospermum circinale and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum to Chrysosporum ovalisporum. While some name changes apply to a particular species (eg. Dolichospermum circinale), others only apply to nominated species of the genus. For instance, the genus Anabaena will continue to be reported because only some species of this genus have been renamed as Dolichospermum and Sphaerospermopsis.

Please note that AWQC is accredited to report potentially toxic and odour producing cyanobacteria to species level and all other cyanobacteria and algae to genus level.

If you have any concerns regarding the name changes or would like to discuss how this change will affect your WaterScope report please contact your client manager today.

Group

New name

Former Name

FW BGA

Anathece  clathrata

Aphanothece clathrata

FW BGA

Chrysosporum bergii

Anabaena bergii var. limnetica

FW BGA

Chrysosporum ovalisporum *

Aphanizomenon ovalisporum

FW BGA

Cuspidothrix  issatchenkoi

Aphanizomenon  issatchenkoi

FW BGA

Dolichospermum (genus level ID only for below species):

Dolichospermum affine

Dolichospermum flos-aquae

Dolichospermum perturbatum

Dolichospermum spiroides

Anabaena (genus level ID only for below species):

Anabaena affinis

Anabaena flos-aquae f. flos-aquae

and Anabaena spiroides var. minima

Anabaena perturbata var. tumida

Anabaena spiroides f. spiroides

FW BGA

Dolichospermum circinale *

Anabaena circinalis

FW BGA

Dolichospermum crassum

Anabaena crassa

FW BGA

Dolichospermum planctonicum

Anabaena planctonica

FW BGA

Dolichospermum smithii

Anabaena smithii

FW BGA

Planktothricoides raciborskii

Planktothrix raciborskii

FW BGA

Sphaerospermopsis  aphanizomenonoides

Sphaerospermopsis reniformis

(genus level ID only)

Anabaena aphanizomenoides

Anabaena nova

(genus level ID as Anabaena)

FW BGA – Freshwater blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)

*potentially toxic species