Kepes utmutato Magyarorszag leggyakoribb bevonatlako kovaalgaihoz (Bacillariophyceae.).(Kepes' guide to the most common diatoms in Hungary (Bacillariophyceae.) 2023. illus.(SEM & LM). 447 p. gr8vo. In Hungarian, with Latin nomenclature.

This book is actually a guidance that presents the most common benthic diatoms in Hungary, helping with the identification in the most important taxa occurring in the phytobenthos. Preparation of this guidance was made possible by a national survey taking place in 2019 and 2020. Only those taxa that were dominant in at least one sample are included in this survey. It is important to mention that EU Water Framework Directive monitoring requires the use of light microscope (LM), so this book focuses more on these characters, but where necessary, ultrastructural characters are also mentioned based on scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Accurate knowledge of the species is important for the ecological status assessment, as it can influence the result of the classification. Until the molecular methods cannot replace microscopic identifications, the use of the SEM is unavoidable.
Structurally, the book has similarity to the guidance written and edited by Luc Ector and his colleagues, and the order of the taxa follows the systematics of the international database, DiatomBase. The introduction chapter is followed by user guide, that will help the reader. After that, the given species are explained in detail. These descriptions always start with reference(s) recommended by authors for the taxon. It is followed by the most important synonyms that help the identification, by older names that are still in use. The description continues with morphometric data, which is supplemented by a longer morphological description based on LM characters then on ultrastructural (SEM) characters if they needed for precise identification. The description is concluded with the ecology of the taxon, and in some cases, in a comment, with which taxa or genera it can be confused. In all cases, the occurrences experienced during the two-year survey are shown with a distribution map, and LM micrographs and, if necessary, SEM micrographs of the species.
In Hungary the genus with the most dominant species is Nitzschia, although the genera Achnanthidium, Fragilaria, Navicula and Gomphonema also have many dominant species, however, the most common species was Achnanthidium minutissimum.
The book is a well-compiled practical manual for all those who deal with diatoms in research or practice, but it can also be interesting for those who only examine water on a hobby level to satisfy their curiosity.

This guidance can be recommended to everyone, inside or outside the profession, who is interested in benthic diatoms. K. Varga