Friedrich Kützing originally used the name Tabularia as a subgenus of Synedra. He included eleven species and one variety, most of which were found in marine or brackish realm. Williams & Round (1986) considered the subgenus better treated as a genus and transferred four species into it, with T. barbatula as typus generis. Three distinct morphological groups were separated within Tabularia, based on morphological features, and subsequent work shows it to be a paraphyletic assemblage. In addition, a large number of taxa have been described as new for the genus or transferred into it. The large morphological variation demands the need for a revision of the genus. One way to better document this variability is to investigate the original material of historic diatom collections, mainly from the nineteenth century.
One of the larger collections containing members of the genus Tabularia, is the William Smith collection, mainly conserved in Meise Botanic Garden (Belgium) and the Natural History Museum in London (UK). Reverend Williams Smith's two-volume monograph A synopsis of the British Diatomaceae, published in 1853 and 1856, has been the most comprehensive work on British diatoms for over a century. The monograph was based on a large collection of UK samples collected by Smith in collaboration with various national and international phycologists. Smith described and/or documented many new taxa, including several Synedra species, nowadays placed in Tabularia.
The present poster will illustrate the different Tabularia taxa found in the William Smith Collection that is housed in Meise Botanic Garden. Based on observations of different Tabularia taxa, we will indicate how the genus Tabularia may be revised, making our study an incentive for further research on the genus. Overall, the study highlights the importance of careful analysis and revision of original material when making taxonomic transfers. This study will provide valuable insights into the diversity of Tabularia and highlight the need for a revision of the genus.