Species composition, cell density, Shannon-Weaver diversity index, community structures of benthic diatoms and standing crops of benthic algae were investigated in the littoral zone of 21 shallow lakes in Hubei Province, and the water quality was evaluated combined with chemical parameters.The standing crops(Chl.a) of benthic algae and the density of benthic diatoms, with the range of 1.01-40.82μg/cm² and 0.09 ×l0⁶-14.20×10⁶cells/cm², respectively, exhibited higher values in eutrophic lakes during the studying period.Among the 181 taxa (variety) of benthic diatom observed, Achnanthes minulissima distributed widely and was absolutely dominant or sub-dominant species in mesotrophic and meso-eutrophic lakes.The results of two-way indicator species analysis and detrended correspondence analysis catalogued these lakes into three groups:the dominant species were taxa of Achnanthes genus in meso-eutrophic lakes of the first group;several dominant species existed at the same time in mesotrophic lake of the second group;the third group were the city eutrophic lakes.Nanhu was hyper-eutrophic lake, Gomphonema parvulum was dominant indictor(43% of relative abundance).