List of echinoderms of South Africa
The list of echinoderms of South Africa is a list of species that form a part of the echinoderm (Phylum Echinodermata) fauna of South Africa, and includes the starfish, feather stars, brittle stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. The list follows the SANBI listing on iNaturalist.
An echinoderm (/ɪˈkaɪnəˌdɜːrm, ˈɛkə-/) is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (/ɪˌkaɪnoʊˈdɜːrmətə/; from Ancient Greek ἐχῖνος (ekhînos) 'hedgehog', and δέρμα (dérma) 'skin') of marine animals. The adults are recognizable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Adult echinoderms are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes (a superphylum), after the chordates (which include the vertebrates, such as birds, fishes, mammals, and reptiles). Echinoderms are the largest phylum that has no freshwater or terrestrial members.
Aside from the hard-to-classify Arkarua (a Precambrian animal with echinoderm-like pentamerous radial symmetry), the first definitive members of the phylum appeared near the start of the Cambrian. One group of Cambrian echinoderms, the cinctans (Homalozoa), which are close to the base of the echinoderm origin, has been found to possess external gills used for filter feeding, similar to those possessed by chordates and hemichordates.
The echinoderms are important both ecologically and geologically. Ecologically, there are few other groupings so abundant in the biotic desert of the deep sea, as well as shallower oceans. Most echinoderms are able to reproduce asexually and regenerate tissue, organs, and limbs; in some cases, they can undergo complete regeneration from a single limb. Geologically, the value of echinoderms is in their ossified skeletons, which are major contributors to many limestone formations, and can provide valuable clues as to the geological environment. They were the most used species in regenerative research in the 19th and 20th centuries. Further, some scientists hold that the radiation of echinoderms was responsible for the Mesozoic Marine Revolution. (Full article...)
Subphylum Asterozoa[]
Class Asteroidea[]
Superorder Forcipulatacea, order Forcipulatida[]
Family Asteriidae[]
- Coscinasterias calamaria (Gray, 1840) Many armed sea star[1]
- Marthasterias glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758) Spiny starfish[2]
Superorder Spinulosacea, order Spinulosida[]
Family Echinasteridae[]
- Henricia ornata (Perrier, 1869) Reticulated starfish[2]
Superorder Valvatacea, order Paxillosida[]
Family Astropectinidae[]
Order Valvatida,[]
Family Acanthasteridae[]
- Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758) Crown of thorns starfish[2]
Family Asterinidae[]
- Aquilonastra burtoni (Gray, 1840)[4]
- Asterina stellifera (Möbius, 1859) Namibian cushion star[2]
- Callopatiria granifera (Gray, 1847) Red starfish[2]
- Parvulastra exigua (Lamarck, 1816) Dwarf cushion star[2]
- Patiriella dyscrita (H.L. Clark, 1923) Granular cushion star[2]
Family Goniasteridae[]
- Calliaster baccatus Sladen, 1889 Cobbled sea star, tiled sea star[1]
- Fromia elegans H.L. Clark, 1921 Blocked starfish[2]
- Fromia indica (Perrier, 1869)
Family Mithrodiidae[]
- Thromidia catalai Pope & Rowe, 1977 Fat armed star[2]
Family Ophidiasteridae[]
- (Döderlein, 1910) Granular starfish[2]
- Linckia guildingi Gray, 1840 [3]
- Linckia laevigata (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue star[2]
- Linckia multifora (Lamarck, 1816)[3]
- Narcissia spp.
- (Retzius, 1805) Button star[2]
Family Oreasteridae[]
- Choriaster granulatus Lütken, 1869 Granulated star[2]
- Culcita schmideliana (Retzius, 1805) Pincushion starfish[2]
- Halityle regularis Fisher, 1913 Regular star[2]
- Protoreaster lincki (Blainville, 1830) Spine tipped star[2]
- (Audouin, 1826) Beaded starfish[2]
Family Pterasteridae[]
Class Ophiuroidea[]
Order Euryalida[]
Family Gorgonocephalidae[]
- Astroboa nuda (Lyman, 1874) Naked basket star
- Astrocladus euryale (Retzius, 1783) Basket star[2]
Superfamily Euryalidea[]
Family Asteroschematidae[]
- Mortensen, 1925 [3]
Family Euryalidae, Subfamily Euryalinae[]
- Euryale spp.
Order Ophiurida, Suborder Ophiurina, Infraorder Gnathophiurina[]
Family Amphiuridae[]
- Ljungman, 1867 Equal tailed brittlestar[2]
- (Ljungman, 1867)[2]
- Amphipholis squamata (Delle Chiaje, 1828)[2]
- (Koehler, 1904) Pansy-shell brittlestar[2]
Family Ophiactidae[]
- Ljungman, 1867 Snake-star[2]
- Ophiactis savignyi (Müller & Troschel, 1842)[2]
Family Ophiocomidae, Subfamily Ophiocominae[]
- Peters, 1851[3]
- Müller & Troschel, 1842[3]
- de Loriol, 1899[3]
- Ophiocoma erinaceus Müller & Troschel, 1842[2]
- Müller & Troschel, 1842[3]
- (Brock, 1888)[3]
- Ophiocoma scolopendrina (Lamarck, 1816)[2]
- Müller & Troschel, 1842 Snake armed brittlestar[2]
Family Ophionereididae[]
Family Ophiotrichidae[]
- (Lyman, 1862)[2]
- (Lamarck, 1816) Hitchhiker brittlestar[2]
- Verrill, 1869 Commensal brittlestar[2]
- von Martens, 1867[3]
- Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1887[2]
- Ophiothrix fragilis (Abildgaard, in O.F. Müller, 1789) Hairy brittlestar[2]
- Ophiothrix fragilis var. triglochis Müller & Troschel, 1842[4]
Infraorder Ophiodermatina[]
Family Ophiodermatidae[]
Subfamily Ophiarachninae[]
- (Bell, 1888) Banded brittlestar[2]
Subfamily Ophiodermatinae[]
- Müller & Troschel, 1842 Serpent skinned brittlestar[2]
Subphylum Crinozoa[]
Class Crinoidea, subclass Articulata[]
Order Comatulida, sub-order Comatulidina[]
Super-family Antedonoidea, family Antedonidae, subfamily Antedoninae[]
- (AH Clark, 1915)[2]
Superfamily Comasteroidea, family Comatulidae, subfamily Comatulinae[]
- (Müller, 1843) Common feather star[2]
Superfamily Mariametroidea, family Mariametridae[]
- (Smith, 1876) Indicated feather star[2]
Superfamily Tropiometroidea, family Tropiometridae[]
- Tropiometra carinata (Lamarck, 1816) Elegant feather star[2]
Subphylum Echinozoa[]
Class Echinoidea, subclass Cidaroidea[]
Order Cidaroida[]
Superfamily Cidaridea, family Cidaridae, subfamily Cidarinae[]
- Eucidaris metularia (Lamarck, 1816)[3]
- Phyllacanthus imperialis (Lamarck, 1816)[3]
Subfamily Stylocidarinae[]
- (Lamarck, 1816) Rough pencil urchin[2]
Subclass Euechinoidea, infraclass Acroechinoidea[]
Order Diadematoida[]
Family Diadematidae[]
- Astropyga radiata (Leske, 1778)[3]
- Diadema savignyi (Audouin, 1829) Needle urchin[2]
- Diadema setosum (Leske, 1778) Needle urchin[2]
- Echinothrix calamaris (Pallas, 1774) Banded urchin[2]
Infraclass Carinacea[]
Superorder Echinacea, order Arbacioida[]
Family Arbaciidae[]
- Tetrapygus niger (Molina, 1782) Black urchin[2]
Order Camarodonta, infraorder Echinidea[]
Family Echinidae[]
- Echinus gilchristi Bell, 1904 Deep water urchin[1]
Family Parechinidae[]
- Parechinus angulosus (Leske, 1778) Cape urchin[2]
Superfamily Odontophora, family Echinometridae[]
- (Linnaeus, 1758)[3]
- Echinometra mathaei (Blainville, 1825) Oval urchin[2]
- Echinostrephus molaris (Blainville, 1825) Tuft urchin[2]
- Heterocentrotus mamillatus (Linnaeus, 1758) Slate pencil urchin[2]
Family Toxopneustidae[]
- Toxopneustes pileolus (Lamarck, 1816) Flower urchin[2]
- Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus, 1758) Short-spined urchin[2]
Infraorder Temnopleuridea[]
Family Temnopleuridae[]
- Salmacis bicolor L. Agassiz in L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846 Bicoloured urchin[2]
Order Stomopneustoida[]
Family Stomopneustidae[]
- Stomopneustes variolaris (Lamarck, 1816) Pot-hole urchin[2]
Infraclass Irregularia[]
Superorder Atelostomata, order Spatangoida, suborder Brissidina[]
Superfamily Spatangidea, family Loveniidae, subfamily Echinocardiinae[]
- Echinocardium cordatum (Pennant, 1777) Heart urchin[2]
- (Gray, 1845) [3]
Family Maretiidae[]
- H.L. Clark, 1923 Heart urchin[2]
Superorder Neognathostomata, order Clypeasteroida, suborder Scutellina, infraorder Scutelliformes[]
Superfamily Scutellidea, family Astriclypeidae[]
Infraorder Laganiformes[]
Family Echinocyamidae[]
- Echinocyamus sp.[3]
Order Echinolampadoida[]
Family Echinolampadidae[]
- (Bell, 1880) Lamp urchin[2]
Class Holothuroidea[]
Order Apodida[]
Family Chiridotidae[]
- Cherbonnier, 1952[4]
Family Synaptidae[]
- (Cherbonnier, 1952)[4]
- Synapta maculata (Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821) Snake sea cucumber[2]
Order Aspidochirotida[]
Family Holothuriidae[]
- (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)[3]
- Jaeger, 1833[2]
- (Brandt, 1835) Tapering sea cucumber[2]
- Jaeger, 1833[2]
- (Selenka, 1867) Noble sea cucumber[2]
- Krauss in Lampert, 1885 Banana sea cucumber[2]
- (Brandt, 1835) Tufted sea cucumber[2]
Family Stichopodidae[]
- (H.L. Clark, 1923) Warty sea cucumber[2]
- Stichopus chloronotus Brandt, 1835[2]
- Thelenota ananas (Jaeger, 1833) Pineapple sea cucumber[2]
Order Dendrochirotida[]
Family Cucumariidae[]
- (H.L. Clark, 1923) Grey sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria spyridophora, Pentacucumis spyridophora
- (Pallas, 1766) Cask sea cucumber, mauve sea cucumber [2]
- Pseudocnella insolens (Théel, 1886) Red-chested sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria insolens Théel, 1886
- (Lampert, 1885) Black sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria sykion (Lampert, 1885)
- (John, 1939) Stephenson's sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria stephensoni John, 1939
- (Ludwig, 1882) Horseshoe sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria frauenfeldi Ludwig, 1882
- (Semper, 1869)[4] syn. Trachythyone crucifera (Semper, 1869)
Family Psolidae[]
- Thandar, 2009[3]
Family Phyllophoridae[]
- (Stimpson, 1855)[4] syn. Thyone sacellus (Selenka)
- Thyone aurea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) Golden sea cucumber[2]
Notes[]
References[]
- ^ a b c Jones, Georgina (2008). A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. Cape Town: SURG. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz Branch, G.M.; Branch, M.L.; Griffiths, C.L.; Beckley, L.E. (2010). Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa (2nd ed.). Cape Town: Struik Nature. ISBN 978 1 77007 772 0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "EchinoMAP — Atlas of African Echinoderma: 134 species found for South Africa, Date filter: none". Animal Demography Unit: Virtual Museum. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f Day, J.H. 1969. A guide to marine life on South African shores. Balkema, Cape Town
- Marine biodiversity of South Africa
- Lists of echinoderms
- South African animal biodiversity lists