Navicula

Navicula
Navicula reinhardtii
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: Sar
Clade: Stramenopiles
Phylum: Ochrophyta
Clade: Diatomeae
Class: Bacillariophyceae
Order: Naviculales
Family: Naviculaceae
Genus: Navicula
Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1822
Type species
Navicula tripunctata
Species

Navicula is a genus of boat-shaped diatom (single-celled photosynthetic organisms), comprising over 1,200 species, though many Navicula species likely do not belong in the genus strictly speaking. Navicula is Latin for "small ship", and also a term in English for a boat-shaped incense-holder. Navicula is a cosmopolitan genus and species are present in both freshwater and marine environments, typically attached to surfaces (i.e. benthic).