Checklist of Phytoplankton of the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive checklist on the composition and diversity of phytoplankton in the Sea of Oman and the Persian Gulf from 1979–2019 based on up-to-date, valid and accepted published research records many studies have been conducted on phytoplankton species in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman; however, there is not a comprehensive and complete list of phytoplankton species from this area. The phytoplankton species was 1700 species (218 genera), consisting of two major groups of diatoms comprising 992 species (58%) and dinoflagellates with 668 species (39%), and the remaining species belonging to 5 other groups with 40 species (3%). In the Persian Gulf, Bacillariophyceae with 18 orders and 593 species and in the Sea of Oman, and Dinophyceae with 12 orders and 425 species were predominant. The most abundant genera were in the Persian Gulf Nitzschia with 55 species and Ceratium with 80 species, and in the Sea of Oman Cheatoceros with 31 species and Ceratium with 68 species. This is the first comprehensive checklist on phytoplankton in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman; it could assist as a basis for future studies on phytoplankton in the region.