Skeletonema costatum

Skeletonema costatum is a cosmopolitan centric diatom that belongs to the genus Skeletonema. It was first described by R. K. Greville, who originally named it Melosira costata, in 1866. It was later renamed by Cleve in 1873 and was more narrowly defined by Zingone et al. and Sarno et al. Skeletonema costatum is the most well known species of the genus Skeletonema and is often one of the dominant species responsible for red tide events.

The diatom S. costatum is known for its carbon acquisition mechanisms, and it has been used in the production of biofuel and as a feed for aquaculture. The organism is appealing for commercial use due to its high photosynthetic efficiency, high tolerance to pH, temperature, and salinity changes, high lipid and fatty acid content, and rapid growth rate.