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.

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

Echinoderm is the common name given to any member of the phylum Echinodermata (from Ancient Greek, ἐχῖνος, echinos – "hedgehog" and δέρμα, derma – "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". Echinoderms are found 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 also the largest phylum that has no freshwater or terrestrial (land-based) representatives.

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, have 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.

Subphylum Asterozoa

Class Asteroidea

Superorder Forcipulatacea, order Forcipulatida
Family Asteriidae

Superorder Spinulosacea, order Spinulosida
Family Echinasteridae

Superorder Valvatacea, order Paxillosida
Family Astropectinidae
  • Astropecten granulatus Müller & Troschel, 1842 Grey sandstar[2]
  • Astropecten hemprichi Müller & Troschel, 1842 [3]
  • Astropecten irregularis pontoporeus Sladen, 1883 Pink sandstar[2]

Order Valvatida,
Family Acanthasteridae
  • Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758) Crown of thorns starfish[2]
Family Asterinidae
Family Goniasteridae
Family Mithrodiidae
  • Thromidia catalai Pope & Rowe, 1977 Fat armed star[2]
Family Ophidiasteridae
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]
  • Pentaceraster mammillatus (Audouin, 1826) Beaded starfish[2]
Family Pterasteridae
  • Euretaster cribrosus (von Martens, 1867)[3]
  • Pteraster capensis Gray, 1847 Brooding cushion star[2]

Class Ophiuroidea

Order Euryalida
Family Gorgonocephalidae

Superfamily Euryalidea
Family Asteroschematidae
  • Asteroschema capensis Mortensen, 1925 [3]
Family Euryalidae, Subfamily Euryalinae

Order Ophiurida, Suborder Ophiurina, Infraorder Gnathophiurina
Family Amphiuridae
  • Amphiura (Amphiura) capensis Ljungman, 1867 Equal tailed brittlestar[2]
  • Amphioplus (Lymanella) integer (Ljungman, 1867)[2]
  • Amphipholis squamata (Delle Chiaje, 1828)[2]
  • Ophiodaphne scripta (Koehler, 1904) Pansy-shell brittlestar[2]
Family Ophiactidae
Family Ophiocomidae, Subfamily Ophiocominae
  • Ophiocoma (Breviturma) brevipes Peters, 1851[3]
  • Ophiocoma (Breviturma) dentata Müller & Troschel, 1842[3]
  • Ophiocoma (Breviturma) doederleini de Loriol, 1899[3]
  • Ophiocoma erinaceus Müller & Troschel, 1842[2]
  • Ophiocoma pica Müller & Troschel, 1842[3]
  • Ophiocoma pusilla (Brock, 1888)[3]
  • Ophiocoma scolopendrina (Lamarck, 1816)[2]
  • Ophiocoma valenciae Müller & Troschel, 1842 Snake armed brittlestar[2]
Family Ophionereididae
  • Ophionereis dubia dubia (Müller & Troschel, 1842) Striped brittlestar[2]
  • Ophionereis porrecta Lyman, 1860 Striped brittlestar[2]
Family Ophiotrichidae
  • Macrophiothrix hirsuta cheneyi (Lyman, 1862)[2]
  • Ophiocnemis marmorata (Lamarck, 1816) Hitchhiker brittlestar[2]
  • Ophiothela danae Verrill, 1869 Commensal brittlestar[2]
  • Ophiothrix (Acanthophiothrix) purpurea von Martens, 1867[3]
  • Ophiothrix (Ophiothrix) foveolata 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
  • Ophiarachnella capensis (Bell, 1888) Banded brittlestar[2]
Subfamily Ophiodermatinae
  • Ophioderma wahlbergii 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
  • Annametra occidentalis (AH Clark, 1915)[2]
Superfamily Comasteroidea, family Comasteridae, subfamily Comasterinae
  • Comanthus wahlbergii (Müller, 1843) Common feather star[2]
Superfamily Mariametroidea, family Mariametridae
  • Stephanometra indica (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
Subfamily Stylocidarinae
  • Prionocidaris pistillaris (Lamarck, 1816) Rough pencil urchin[2]

Subclass Euechinoidea, infraclass Acroechinoidea

Order Diadematoida
Family Diadematidae

Infraclass Carinacea

Superorder Echinacea, order Arbacioida
Family Arbaciidae
  • Tetrapygus niger (Molina, 1782) Black urchin[2]

Order Camarodonta, infraorder Echinidea
Family Echinidae
Family Parechinidae
Superfamily Odontophora, family Echinometridae
Family Toxopneustidae

Infraorder Temnopleuridea
Family Temnopleuridae

Order Stomopneustoida
Family Stomopneustidae

Infraclass Irregularia

Superorder Atelostomata, order Spatangoida, suborder Brissidina
Superfamily Spatangidea, family Loveniidae, subfamily Echinocardiinae
Family Maretiidae
  • Spatagobrissus mirabilis H.L. Clark, 1923 Heart urchin[2]

Superorder Neognathostomata, order Clypeasteroida, suborder Scutellina, infraorder Scutelliformes
Superfamily Scutellidea, family Astriclypeidae
  • Echinodiscus auritus Leske, 1778 Pansy shell[2]
  • Echinodiscus bisperforatus Leske, 1778 Pansy shell[2]

Infraorder Laganiformes
Family Echinocyamidae
  • Echinocyamus sp.[3]

Order Echinolampadoida
Family Echinolampadidae
  • Echinolampas crassa (Bell, 1880) Lamp urchin[2]

Class Holothuroidea

Order Apodida
Family Chiridotidae
  • Taeniogyrus dayi Cherbonnier, 1952[4]
Family Synaptidae
  • Leptosynapta knysnaensis(Cherbonnier, 1952)[4] 
  • Synapta maculata (Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821) Snake sea cucumber[2]

Order Aspidochirotida
Family Holothuriidae
  • Bohadschia subrubra (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)[3]
  • Holothuria (Halodeima) atra Jaeger, 1833[2]
  • Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota (Brandt, 1835) Tapering sea cucumber[2]
  • Holothuria (Metriatyla) scabra Jaeger, 1833[2]
  • Holothuria (Microthele) nobilis (Selenka, 1867) Noble sea cucumber[2]
  • Holothuria (Selenkothuria) parva Krauss in Lampert, 1885 Banana sea cucumber[2]
  • Holothuria (Semperothuria) cinerascens (Brandt, 1835) Tufted sea cucumber[2]
Family Stichopodidae

Order Dendrochirotida
Family Cucumariidae
  • Aslia spyridophora (H.L. Clark, 1923) Grey sea cucumber[2]
  • Pentacta doliolum (Pallas, 1766) Cask sea cucumber, mauve sea cucumber [2]
  • Pseudocnella insolens (Théel, 1886) Red-chested sea cucumber[2]
  • Pseudocnella sykion (Lampert, 1885) Black sea cucumber[2] 
  • Roweia stephensoni (John, 1939) Stephenson's sea cucumber[2]
  • Roweia frauenfeldi frauenfeldi (Ludwig, 1882) Horseshoe sea cucumber[2]
  • Trachasina crucifera (Semper, 1869)[4]
Family Psolidae
  • Psolus griffithsi Thandar, 2009[3]
Family Phyllophoridae
  • Stolus buccalis (Stimpson, 1855)[4]
  • Thyone aurea (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) Golden sea cucumber[2]

Notes
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    References
    1. Jones, Georgina (2008). A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. Cape Town: SURG. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9.
    2. 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.
    3. "EchinoMAP — Atlas of African Echinoderma: 134 species found for South Africa, Date filter: none". Animal Demography Unit: Virtual Museum. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
    4. Day, J.H. 1969. A guide to marine life on South African shores. Balkema, Cape Town
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