Catalogue and description of the coccolithophores (Haptophyta, Coccolithophyceae), calcareous, scale-bearing microalgae, in New Zealand waters

This dataset is from the first volume in the NIWA Biodiversity Memoir (NBM) series that addresses photosynthetic organisms, cataloguing the wonderful diversity of coccolithophores in New Zealand waters. A checklist is presented of living, calcareous, scale-bearing microalgae previously recorded from the New Zealand region; it contains 80 species, plus three different life-cycle forms of two of these species. Studies of this group of microalgae, based on 160 samples collected from 10 ocean-going surveys between January 2009 and February 2012, revealed a total of 50 named individual groups of microalgae (taxa), with two taxa as first records for the region (Cyrtosphaera lecaliae Kleijne, 1992, and Syracosphaera azureaplaneta Young et al., 2018, both recorded here for the first time). The 50 taxa recorded in this study are illustrated in the Memoir with 157 scanning electron micrographs in 29 plates. Of the 50 taxa presented in this monograph, 45 were placed in a group characterised by having calcareous scales of variable shape and size that are formed inside the cell (heterococcolithophores), while three taxa (with one being transferred to to the family Syracosphaeraceae) were placed in another group characterised by having numerous minute crystallite scales that appear to be calcified outside the cell (holococcolithophores). Two of the first group also had forms showing characteristics of both groups. Forty-two taxa from the first group were placed in seven families in the four orders: Coccolithales, Isochrysidales, Syracosphaerales and Zygodiscales, and five taxa in four families of uncertain taxonomic position. Three holococcolithophore taxa were placed in the family Calyptrosphaeraceae. Emiliania huxleyi was the most plentiful and widespread taxon. On three occasions, in spring 2009 and two consecutive summers in 2011 and 2012, this species formed massive blooms off the central east coast of New Zealand, two of which (spring 2009 and summer 2011) were visible in NASA’s satellite observations. Seven other relatively widespread species recorded here were: Reticulofenestra parvula, Umbellosphaera tenuis type II, Syracosphaera molischii, Syracosphaera anthos, Gephyrocapsa ericsonii, Syracosphaera mediterranea, and Calcidiscus leptoporus. In spring 2009 Reticulofenestra parvula was the second species found in bloom proportion (up to 571,000 cells l-1), but the bloom was limited to Kaikoura on the east coast of New Zealand. In this study the genus Syracosphaera was the largest group, with 17 species and one life-cycle form of one of these species, which made up about 36% of all living coccolithophores identified. Most of the other genera, however, did not have many species and occurred in very limited areas. This work provides a diagnostic description of all 50 living coccolithophores identified in New Zealand waters, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and gives information on cell abundances and distribution in the New Zealand region.本数据集源自《NIWA生物多样性回忆录》（NIWA Biodiversity Memoir, NBM）系列的首卷，该卷聚焦光合生物，系统编目了新西兰海域内颗石藻（coccolithophores）的丰富多样性。 本研究列出了此前在新西兰海域记录到的活体钙质具鳞片微藻名录，共计80个物种，外加其中2个物种的3种不同生命周期形态。 本研究基于2009年1月至2012年2月间10次远洋科考采集的160份样本，对这类微藻展开分析，共鉴定出50个已命名的微藻类群（分类单元，taxa），其中2个分类单元为该海域的首次记录：*Cyrtosphaera lecaliae* Kleijne, 1992与*Syracosphaera azureaplaneta* Young et al., 2018，二者均为本次研究首次报道。 本研究记录的50个分类单元，在该回忆录中通过29幅图版中的157张扫描电子显微照片进行了展示。 本专著收录的50个分类单元中，45个归入一类：其钙质鳞片形态与大小各异，且在细胞内形成，即异颗石藻（heterococcolithophores）；剩余3个分类单元（其中1个被归入颗球藻科（Syracosphaeraceae））则归入另一类：其表面分布大量细小的微晶鳞片，且似乎在细胞外完成钙化，即全颗石藻（holococcolithophores）。 第一类群中有2个分类单元同时兼具两类群的特征形态。 第一类群中的42个分类单元隶属于4个目下的7个科：颗石藻目（Coccolithales）、等鞭金藻目（Isochrysidales）、颗球藻目（Syracosphaerales）以及合沟藻目（Zygodiscales）；另有5个分类单元隶属于分类地位尚不明确的4个科。 3个全颗石藻分类单元被归入盖球石藻科（Calyptrosphaeraceae）。 赫氏颗石藻（*Emiliania huxleyi*）是丰度最高且分布最广的分类单元。2009年春季以及2011、2012年连续两个夏季，该物种曾3次在新西兰中东部近岸海域形成大规模水华，其中2次（2009年春季与2011年夏季）可通过美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的卫星观测到。 本次研究记录的其他分布较广的7个物种分别为：*Reticulofenestra parvula*、*Umbellosphaera tenuis* Ⅱ型、*Syracosphaera molischii*、*Syracosphaera anthos*、*Gephyrocapsa ericsonii*、*Syracosphaera mediterranea*以及*Calcidiscus leptoporus*。 2009年春季，*Reticulofenestra parvula*的水华丰度可达571000个/升，为该次科考中第二丰度的物种，但其水华仅局限于新西兰东海岸的凯库拉海域。 本研究中，颗球藻属（*Syracosphaera*）是最大的类群，包含17个物种以及其中1个物种的1种生命周期形态，其个体数约占所有鉴定出的活体颗石藻的36%。然而其余多数属的物种数量较少，且仅分布于极为有限的海域。 本研究通过扫描电子显微镜（scanning electron microscopy, SEM）对新西兰海域内鉴定出的全部50种活体颗石藻进行了形态鉴定描述，并提供了该区域内各类群的细胞丰度与分布信息。