List of species that form a part of the echinoderm fauna of South Africa
Map of the Southern African coastline showing some of the landmarks referred to in species range statements 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 deuterostomal animal of the phylum Echinodermata (), which includes starfish , brittle stars , sea urchins , sand dollars and sea cucumbers , as well as the sessile sea lilies or "stone lilies". While bilaterally symmetrical as larvae , as adults echinoderms are recognisable by their usually five-pointed radial symmetry (pentamerous symmetry), and are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone . The phylum contains about 7,600 living species , making it the second-largest group of deuterostomes after the chordates , as well as the largest marine-only phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian .
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 dermal endoskeletons , 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 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 Family Asterinidae Family Goniasteridae Family Mithrodiidae Family Ophidiasteridae Family Oreasteridae Family Pterasteridae Euretaster cribrosus (von Martens, 1867)[3] Pteraster capensis [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 [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 [2] Ophiocoma pica Müller & Troschel, 1842[3] Ophiocoma pusilla (Brock, 1888)[3] Ophiocoma scolopendrina [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 [2] Ophiothrix fragilis triglochis Müller & Troschel, 1842[4] Infraorder Ophiodermatina Family Ophiodermatidae Subfamily Ophiarachninae Subfamily Ophiodermatinae Subphylum Crinozoa Class Crinoidea, subclass Articulata Order Comatulida, sub-order Comatulidina Super-family Antedonoidea, family Antedonidae, subfamily Antedoninae Superfamily Comasteroidea, family Comatulidae, subfamily Comatulinae Superfamily Mariametroidea, family Mariametridae Stephanometra indica (Smith, 1876) Indicated feather star[2] Superfamily Tropiometroidea, family Tropiometridae 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 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 Superorder Neognathostomata, order Clypeasteroida, suborder Scutellina, infraorder Scutelliformes Superfamily Scutellidea, family Astriclypeidae Infraorder Laganiformes Family Echinocyamidae Order Echinolampadoida Family Echinolampadidae Class Holothuroidea Order Apodida Family Chiridotidae Taeniogyrus dayi Cherbonnier, 1952[4] Family Synaptidae Leptosynapta knysnaensis (Cherbonnier, 1952)[4] Synapta maculata [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] syn. Cucumaria spyridophora, Pentacucumis spyridophoraPentacta doliolum [2] Pseudocnella insolens [2] syn. Cucumaria insolens Théel, 1886Pseudocnella sykion (Lampert, 1885) Black sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria sykion (Lampert, 1885)Roweia stephensoni [2] syn. Cucumaria stephensoni John, 1939Roweia frauenfeldi frauenfeldi (Ludwig, 1882) Horseshoe sea cucumber[2] syn. Cucumaria frauenfeldi Ludwig, 1882 Trachasina crucifera (Semper, 1869)[4] syn. Trachythyone crucifera (Semper, 1869)Family Psolidae Psolus griffithsi Thandar, 2009[3] Family Phyllophoridae Stolus buccalis (Stimpson, 1855)[4] syn. Thyone sacellus (Selenka)Thyone aurea [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
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