El género Navicula sensu stricto (Bacillariophyceae) en humedales de altura de Jujuy, Argentina

The genus Navicula sensu stricto (Bacillariophyceae) in highland wetlands of Jujuy, Argentina. In this paper we present the main outcomes of the study of the diversity of genus Navicula Bory in 22 highland wetlands located in the Jujuy Province, Argentina (22° 30’ - 22° 44’ S; and 66° 39’ - 66° 59’ W; between 3500 and 4683 masl), including the Vilama Lake Complex. The environments with broader species richness were Vilama, Catal, Rincón de Cajas and Del Arenal, meanwhile in Laguna Colorada the genus was absent. The more frequent species were Navicula lauca Rumrich & Lange-Bertalot, N. paranicota Rumrich & Lange-Bertalot, N. salinicola Hustedt var. salinicola and N. veneta Kützing. We also discuss some ecological, bio-geographical and taxonomical issues and we assigned the exclusively American species to one of the two Sections of the genus. With the following contribution we improve the knowledge about the diatoms of highlands environments of Southamerica.