Cyanobacteria are organisms which play a vital role in various molecular and biotechnological aspects in food industry, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, neutraceuticals, biofuel production, etc., it is necessary to understand its adaptability to various environmental conditions. Furthermore it is equally important to discover new cyanobacterial taxa and with it occasional changes in taxonomic classification, thus the author set out to study cyanobacteria in extreme climatic conditions of desert, where temperatures are mostly above 45 oC. The taxonomic composition of cyanobacteria of Masirah Island, Sultanate of Oman, was studied for the first time. The studied samples were collected during the period of 2017–2019. The ten samples belonged to two orders: Oscillatoriales Schaffner and Synechococcales L.Hoffmann, Komárek & J.Kastovsky. All of them were filamentous non-heterocyst forms. Three species belonged to the genus Leptolyngbya Anagn. & Komárek, the genera Oscillatoria Vaucher ex Gomont and Lyngbya C.Agardh ex Gomont were represented by two species each, while the genera Pseudanabena Lauterborn, Planktolyngbya Anagn. & Komárek and Geitlerinema (Anagn. & Komárek) Anagn. were one species.

Keywords: Cyanobacteria, filamentous, new species, Arabian Sea, Masirah Island, Oman

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