Zeinab Shariatmadari - Faculty of Biosciences, Shahid Beheshti University
Hossein Riahi - Faculty of Biosciences, Shahid Beheshti University

In a revision of the family Nostocaceae Kützing in terrestrial habitats of Iran, several taxa belonging to six genera were identified. Isolates were collected from ۲۰ paddy field soils located in seven provinces of Iran. Among the identified taxa, ۱۸ species and one variety belong to four genera, Nostoc Vaucher ex Bornet & Flahault, Trichormus (Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault) Komárek & Anagnostidis, Nodularia Mertens ex Bornet & Flahaultand Aulosira Kirchner ex Bornet & Flahault,known as apoheterocytic cyanoprokaryota and ۲۰ taxa from two genera, Anabaena Bory ex Bornet & Flahault and Cylindrospermum Kützing ex Bornet & Flahault, known as paraheterocytic cyanoprokaryota. Among these taxa, Nostoc linckia var. arvense C. B. Rao Rao, Nostoc alatosporum Sant Anna & al., Nostoc spongiaeforme Agardh ex Born. & Flah. and Nostoc verrucosum Vaucher ex Born. & Flah. are reported as four new records from this family in Iran. An identification key, distribution area and camera lucida pictures of apoheterocytic species as well as description of new taxa are presented in this study.

Iran, new record, morphospecies, Nostocaceae, cyanoprokaryota, akinete, Apoheterocytic form