Diversity of desmids from freshwater bodies of Kohima district, Nagaland, India

The present paper records 20 species of desmids belonging to 10 genera(Cosmarium, Netrium, Coelastrum, Hyalotheca, Staurastrum, Actinotaenium, Closterium, Acutodesmus, Eaustrum and Spirotaenia) from Kohima districts, Nagaland which is located between 25° 24′N - 25° 99. N latitude and 94° 01′E - 94° 29.E longitude with an average elevation of 1261m and an area of 1,595 sq. km. Out of these, 7 species belong to genus Cosmarium (C. anceps, C. blytii, C. botrytis, C. contractum var rotundatum C. crenatum, C. holmiense var hibernicum and C. ornatum), 5 species of Closterium (C. acerosum var minus, C. dianae, C. ehrenbergiiii, C. idiosporum and C.moniliferum) and one species each from Actinotaenium silvae-nigra, Acutodesmus acuminatus, Coelastrum sphaericum, Eaustrum sublobatum, Hyalotheca dissiliens, Netrium digitus, Spirotaenia condensata and Staurastrum punctulatum. Out of these 20 species, one species i.e., Acutodesmus acuminatus has already been reported in Nagaland, Acitinotaenium silvae-nigra is a new record for India and the remaining species are first reports for Nagaland.