List of marine molluscs of South Africa

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Map of the Southern African coastline showing some of the landmarks referred to in species range statements

The list of marine molluscs of South Africa is a list of saltwater species that form a part of the molluscan fauna of South Africa. This list does not include the land or freshwater molluscs.

Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda. The members are known as molluscs or mollusks (/ˈmɒləsk/). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is estimated between 60,000 and 100,000 additional species. The proportion of undescribed species is very high. Many taxa remain poorly studied.

Molluscs are the largest marine phylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live in freshwater and terrestrial habitats. They are highly diverse, not just in size and anatomical structure, but also in behaviour and habitat. The phylum is typically divided into 7 or 8 taxonomic classes, of which two are entirely extinct. Cephalopod molluscs, such as squid, cuttlefish, and octopuses, are among the most neurologically advanced of all invertebrates—and either the giant squid or the colossal squid is the largest known invertebrate species. The gastropods (snails and slugs) are by far the most numerous molluscs and account for 80% of the total classified species. (Full article...)

Gastropoda[]

See List of marine gastropods of South Africa

Bivalvia[]

Bivalves in South Africa include:

Nuculidae

  • Linnaeus, 1758[1]

Mytilidae – Mussels

Perna perna
  • Estuarine mussel (Cape Agulhas to Mozambique)[2]
  • Ribbed mussel Aulacomya ater (Namibia to Eastern Cape)[2][3]
  • Brack-water mussel (Eastern Cape to Mozambique)[2]
  • Semistriated mussel (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]
  • Black mussel Choromytilus meridionalis (Namibia to Tsitsikamma)[2][3]
  • Half-hairy mussel (Namibia to central KwaZulu-Natal)[2][4]
  • Ear mussel Modiolus auriculatus (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]
  • Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Orange river to Eastern Cape)[2][3]
  • Brown mussel Perna perna (Cape Point to Mozambique)[2]
  • Ledge mussel Septifer bilocularis (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]

Arcidae – Ark clams

  • Lamarck, 1819 (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]
  • Brughiere, 1789[1]
  • Linnaeus 1758[1]
  • Barbatia candida (Helbling, 1779) syn. Arca helblingi[1]
  • Oblique ark shell Barbatia obliquata (Cape Columbine to Mozambique)[2]

Noetiidae

  • (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]

Pinnidae – Pen shells

Gryphaeidae

  • (Transkei to Mozambique)[2]

Ostreidae – True oysters

  • Weed oyster Sowerby, 1871[1]
  • (Saldanha Bay to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[2]
  • Natal rock oyster (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2] (syn. Crassostrea cuccullata)
  • Cape rock oyster (Cape Point to Mozambique)[2]

Anomiidae – Saddle oysters

  • Saddle oyster (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]

Gryphaeidae – Honeycomb oysters

Pteriidae – Pearl oysters

  • Cape pearl oyster (Cape Agulhas to Mozambique)[2]

Pectinidae – Scallops

Limidae – File shells

  • File shell Limaria tuberculata (Cape Columbine to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[2]

Cardiidae – Cockles

  • Cockle (Central KwaZulu-Natal to Mozambique)[2]
  • (Eastern Transkei to Mozambique)[2]

Tridacnidae – Giant clams

Mactridae – Trough shells

  • Otter shell Lutraria lutraria (Namibia to Eastern Cape)[2]
  • Smooth trough shell Mactra glabrata (Cape Columbine to Mozambique)[2]
  • Angular surf clam (Cape Point to Eastern Cape)[2]

Carditidae

  • Rectangular false cockle (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]
  • Dead man's hands Thecalia concamerata (Port Nolloth to Transkei)[2]

Condylocardiidae

  • Rough false cockle (Mossel Bay to central KwaZulu-Natal)[2]
  • (West coast)[2]

Solenidae

  • Pencil bait (Namaqualand to Eastern Cape)[2]
  • (Transkei to Mozambique)[2]

Lucinidae

  • Smooth platter shell Philippi 1848 (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]

Unionidae

  • Toothless platter shell Linnaeus 1758 (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]

Lasaeidae

  • Dwarf rusty clam (Cape Point to Mozambique) Gmelin 1791[2]
  • (West coast)[2]

Tellinidae

Gastrana matadoa
  • Ridged tellin (Cape Point to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[2]
  • Littoral tellin (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]
  • Port Alfred tellin Linnaeus 1758 (Cape Point to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[2]
  • (Durban to Mozambique)[2]
  • Gilchrist's tellin (Cape Columbine to Eastern Cape)[2]
  • (Orange river to Transkei)[2]

Teredinidae

  • Shipworm Bankia carinata (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]

Donacidae – Wedge shells

  • (East London to Mozambique)[2]
  • Round ended wedge shell (Cape Point to Mozambique)[2]
  • Slippery wedge shell (Port Alfred to Mozambique)[2]
  • Ridged wedge shell (Transkei to Mozambique)[2]
  • White mussel or Wedge shell (Namibia to Transkei)[2]
  • (Cape Point to Transkei)[2]

Psammobiidae – Sunset clams

  • Sunset clam (Transkei to Mozambique)[2]
  • Sand tellin (Cape Agulhas to Transkei)[2]

Veneridae – Venus shells

  • Heart clam (Namibia to Eastern Cape)[2]
  • (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]
  • Beaked clam (Mossel Bay to Mozambique)[2]
  • Ribbed venus (Port Elizabeth to Mozambique)[2]
  • Zigzag clam Pitar abbreviatus (Cape Point to Mozambique)[2]
  • Mottled venus ? (Cape Point to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[2]
  • Streaked sand clam (Cape Point to Eastern Cape)[2]
  • (Transkei to Mozambique)[2]
  • Corrugated venus Venerupis corrugatus (Namibia to central KwaZulu-Natal)[2]
  • Warty venus Venus verrucosa (Namibia to Mozambique)[2][3]

Polyplacophora[]

Hairy chiton Chaetopleura (Chaetopleura) papilio

Chitons (Polyplacophora) in South Africa include:

Ischnochitonidae

Chitonidae

  • Tulip chiton Chiton (Rhyssoplax) politus Spengler, 1797 syn Chiton tulipa (Quoy & Gaimard, 1835) (Cape Columbine to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[1][2][3]
  • Brooding chiton Chiton nigrovirescens de Blainville, 1825 (Namibia to Cape Agulhas)[1][2] (accepted as Radsia nigrovirescens)[5]
  • Black chiton Onithochiton literatus (Krauss, 1848) (Cape Point to Mozambique)[1][2]

Callochitonidae

  • Broad chiton Callochiton castaneus (Wood, 1815) (Orange river to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[1][2][3][4]

Acanthochitona

Chaetopleuridae

  • Giant chiton or Armadillo Dinoplax gigas Gmelin, 1791 (Cape Point to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[1][2][3]
  • Dinoplax validifossus Ashby (Northern Transkei to Kwazulu-Natal)[1][2]
  • Hairy chiton Chaetopleura (Chaetopleura) papilio (Spengler, 1797) (Namibia to Cape Point)[1][2][3]
  • Orange hairy chiton Chaetopleura (Chaetopleura) pertusa (Reeve, 1847) (Cape Columbine to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[1][2][3]

Cephalopoda[]

Cephalopods in South Africa include:

Octopoda – Octopus
Common octopus Octopus vulgaris

Octopodidae

  • Common octopus Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 (Namibia to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[2][3]
  • Giant octopus Octopus magnificus Villanueva et al., 1992 [2] (syn. Enteroctopus magnificus)
  • Brush tipped octopus Aphrodoctopus schultzei Hoyle, 1910 (Cape Columbine to Cape Point)[2][3] (syn. Eledone thysanophora)

Argonautidae

Paper nautilus Argonauta argo
  • Paper nautilus Argonauta argo Linnaeus, 1758 (Cape Point to northern KwaZulu-Natal)[2][3]
Teuthida – Squid

Loliginidae

  • Indian Ocean squid Orbigny, 1848 (Port Alfred to Mozambique)[2]
  • Chokka or Calimari Loligo vulgaris reynaudi (Orbigny, 1845) (Orange river to Eastern Cape)[2][3] (syn. Loligo reynaudi Orbigny, 1845)
  • Diamond squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus Troschel, 1857 [2]
Sepiolida – Bobtail squid
  • Unidentified species (Cape Peninsula, both sides)[3]
Sepiida – Cuttlefish

Sepiidae

Spirulida – Ram's horn squid

Spirulidae

  • Ram's horn shell Spirula spirula Linnaeus 1758 (Eastern Cape to Mozambique)[2]

Scaphopoda[]

Tusk shells (Scaphopoda) in South Africa include:

Dentaliidae

  • E.A. Smith, 1903 (Jeffreys Bay to Durban)[4][6]
  • (Reeve, 1843) (Indo-Pacific to KwaZulu-Natal south coast)[4]

Gadilidae

  • (Tomlin, 1926) [4][6]
  • Cadulus spp. Three other species known here, all inhabiting deep water[4]

See also[]

  • List of non-marine molluscs of South Africa

Lists of molluscs of surrounding countries:

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Day, J.H. A guide to marine life on South African shores. Balkema, Cape Town, 1969
  2. ^ 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 ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm Branch, G.M. Griffiths, C.L. Branch, M.L. Beckley, L.E. Two Oceans: A guide to the marine life of southern Africa. 5th impression, David Philip, Cape Town, 2000. ISBN 0-86486-250-4
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kilburn, R. and Rippey, E. Sea Shells of Southern Africa MacMillan South Africa 1982 ISBN 0-86954-094-7
  5. ^ http://www.marinespecies.org accessed 11 January 2010
  6. ^ a b Branch, George. and Branch, Margo. The living shores of southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town, 1981. ISBN 0-86977-115-9

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