TAXONOMIC REVISION OF HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY RECORDS OF THE GENUS Spirogyra LINK IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA (From Historical Names to Modern Taxonomy: The Spirogyra Record of Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Description This dataset presents a curated compilation of historical and contemporary records of the freshwater green algal genus Spirogyra Link in Bosnia and Herzegovina, covering the period 1896–2022. It was developed as part of the ALGBiH initiative to consolidate phycological knowledge, facilitate taxonomic revision, and improve the accessibility of historical and contemporary information on the diversity and distribution of Spirogyra in the country. The dataset comprises 150 records extracted from historical literature and contemporary sources. The taxonomic assessment addresses 26 names encountered in the reviewed records, provisionally harmonized into 25 working taxonomic entities. Particular attention is given to historical nomenclature, synonymy, morphological identification, geographical distribution, and the reliability of published records. The taxonomic status of certain names, including Spirogyra longata, remains unresolved and requires further assessment. By integrating historical documentation with contemporary taxonomic evaluation, this dataset provides a foundation for future research on the taxonomy, biogeography, ecology, and diversity of Spirogyra in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also highlights the importance of critically revisiting historical algal records when compiling national checklists and assessing changes in the documented distribution of freshwater algae. The dataset is intended for phycologists, algal taxonomists, biodiversity researchers, ecologists, and researchers working on freshwater biodiversity databases. It may support comparative studies, future field surveys, taxonomic reassessments, and the development of molecular research approaches, including DNA barcoding, where suitable material and sequence data become available. Keywords: Spirogyra; Zygnematophyceae; Charophyta; freshwater algae; phycology; taxonomic revision; historical records; biodiversity; biogeography; Bosnia and Herzegovina; ALGBiH.