The freshwater rockpools support high endemic biodiversity but are poorly studied habitats in the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. These freshwater rock pools are situated on outcrops at various elevations in the Western Ghats and are composed of different bedrocks such as laterite and basalt. We aimed to analyze the water quality, geographical position based differences in the water chemistry and the role of bedrock in determining the water chemistry of the rock pools. Our study showed a wide range of water quality variables such as pH, conductivity, and ionic contents that attributed to the natural variation. We observed a drastic variation in the anions and cations at low elevation pools. Rock type and precipitation are influencing the ionic concentration; for example, Calcium and Bromide could be attributed to the seasonal precipitation and geomorphology. This documentation of physicochemical properties of the Western Ghats rock pools can form a baseline for further detailed studies.

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A new aerophilic diatom species, Humidophila manipurensis sp. nov., is described from the Sadu Chiru waterfalls, Manipur, India, a part of the Indo-Burma hotspot region. This species is characterized by having its valve shape slightly inflated at middle, terminal raphe ends that are slightly deflected, round areolae and a central depression. Further, we also recorded Humidophila bigibba from Meghalaya State, Northeast India, and this population is compared with the type population from Indonesia and Chinese populations. Fine structural details of both taxa were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy and compared with morphologically similar taxa in this genus. Addition of new species from this region will further add to the biodiversity richness of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Further, this study confirms the presence of H. bigibba for the first time in India. This species has a deep constriction in the middle of the valve which is not found in the populations from the Indonesia and China.

A new freshwater diatom species, Gomphonema rajaguruii sp. nov., is described from a wet wall at Mahabaleshwar, Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India. The new species is described based on light and scanning electron microscopy. Features that distinguish this new species from morphologically-similar species such as G. kallarense and G. lujanense include valve shape, which is broad at the centre and narrower near the poles, a distinctly lateral, undulate raphe system and costa-like striae, which are comprised of two rows of slit-like areolae. Although G. rajaguruii also resembles some taxa from the genus Gomphoneis, such as G. eriense and its close allies, it differs from them by lacking an axial plate. The description of G. rajaguruii sp. nov. increases the knowledge on the diatom diversity in the region.