The valve's dorsal margin is convex, the central margin concave. The valve narrows as it approaches the apices, they are not differentiated from the body of the valve. The raphe is the same as Epithemia adnata: "The raphe is only apparent in the middle of the valve in valve view, curved towards dorsal margin. The central pores of the raphe are located below the mid-width of the valve. Poores in the central canal plate are indistinct." This variety is very closely related to Epithemia adnata, so much so that its differentiation is questionable, but it does differ in that the ventral margin is more concave and sometimes smaller.
(Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Type Locality
USA, New England states, Middle Atlantic states, Southeastern states, Lake states, East Central states, West Central states, Plains states, Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington. (Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Synonyms
Epithemia saxonica Kutz., Bacill., pl. 5, fig. 15. 1844.
Epithemia zebra var. saxonica(Kutz.) Grun., Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien, 12:328, pl. 3 (Grun., pl. 6), fig. 6. 1862.
Cystopleura zebra var. saxonica(Kutz.) DeT., Syll. Alg., vol. 2, sect. 2, p. 784. 1892
(Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Ecological distribution
Found in Ponds, rivers, springs/streams, lagoons, oozing areas on rock walls, thermal springs, swamps, and terrestrially. Acidobiontic, acidophilous, indifferent, alkaliphilous and alkalibiontic. (Beaver 1981).
Length is 15 to 70 micrometers (Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Width is 8 to 10 micrometers (Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Costae are about 4 to 9 in 10 micrometers (Patrick and Reimer 1975).
Alveoli rows are 11 to 14 in 10 micrometers (Patrick and Reimer 1975).
