Palaeoecological implications of the subfossil Pediastrum argentinense-type in Europe

• We summarize the former distribution of Pediastrum argentinense-type in Central Europe.
• We find it in Late Glacial and Holocene sediments.
• It shows affinity to sediments originated in shallow and overgrown water bodies.
• Examination of living specimens is needed to clarify its taxonomic position.

This paper describes specimens of Pediastrum argentinense-type in Late Quaternary sediments, focusing on their morphological variability and stressing their value for palaeobotanical studies. Although the taxon strongly resembles P. argentinense Bourrelly et Tell in Tell, known only from South America, some morphological differences between P. argentinense and P. argentinense-type lead to the conclusion that we are dealing with a separate taxon provisionally named P. argentinense-type. To make its taxonomic position clear, there is a need for detailed morphological observations of living specimens and molecular analyses. This taxon was found in sections spanning the entire Late Glacial and Holocene periods across Central Europe. Its affinity to sediments originating in shallow and strongly overgrown water bodies makes it a good indicator of such conditions in past environments.