Abstract

Phytoplankton samples collected in the southeastern Pacific off the coasts of Chile and Peru revealed the presence of Neostreptotheca torta f. triangularis von Stosch (Bacillariophyceae). The principal morphological features of this rarely illustrated taxon were observed and recorded under light and electron microscopes. This is the first record of the species for the region, where it shows an apparent subtropical distribution, being carried southwards during an El Nino event. (C) 2000 Adac/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.