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The list of marine cnidarians of South Africa is a list of saltwater species that form a part of the cnidarian (Phylum Cnidaria) fauna of South Africa. This list does not include the freshwater cnidarians. The list follows the SANBI listing on iNaturalist, and does not always agree with WoRMS for distribution.

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

Cnidaria (/nɪˈdɛəriə, n-/) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter.

Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick.

Cnidarians mostly have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mouths surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. Both forms have a single orifice and body cavity that are used for digestion and respiration. Many cnidarian species produce colonies that are single organisms composed of medusa-like or polyp-like zooids, or both (hence they are trimorphic). Cnidarians' activities are coordinated by a decentralized nerve net and simple receptors. Several free-swimming species of Cubozoa and Scyphozoa possess balance-sensing statocysts, and some have simple eyes. Not all cnidarians reproduce sexually, with many species having complex life cycles of asexual polyp stages and sexual medusae. Some, however, omit either the polyp or the medusa stage, and the parasitic classes evolved to have neither form.

Cnidarians were formerly grouped with ctenophores in the phylum Coelenterata, but increasing awareness of their differences caused them to be placed in separate phyla. Cnidarians are classified into four main groups: the almost wholly sessile Anthozoa (sea anemones, corals, sea pens); swimming Scyphozoa (jellyfish); Cubozoa (box jellies); and Hydrozoa (a diverse group that includes all the freshwater cnidarians as well as many marine forms, and has both sessile members, such as Hydra, and colonial swimmers, such as the Portuguese Man o' War). Staurozoa have recently been recognised as a class in their own right rather than a sub-group of Scyphozoa, and the highly derived parasitic Myxozoa and Polypodiozoa were firmly recognized as cnidarians in 2007.

Most cnidarians prey on organisms ranging in size from plankton to animals several times larger than themselves, but many obtain much of their nutrition from dinoflagellates, and a few are parasites. Many are preyed on by other animals including starfish, sea slugs, fish, turtles, and even other cnidarians. Many scleractinian corals—which form the structural foundation for coral reefs—possess polyps that are filled with symbiotic photo-synthetic zooxanthellae. While reef-forming corals are almost entirely restricted to warm and shallow marine waters, other cnidarians can be found at great depths, in polar regions, and in freshwater.

Recent phylogenetic analyses support monophyly of cnidarians, as well as the position of cnidarians as the sister group of bilaterians. Fossil cnidarians have been found in rocks formed about 580 million years ago, and other fossils show that corals may have been present shortly before 490 million years ago and diversified a few million years later. However, molecular clock analysis of mitochondrial genes suggests a much older age for the crown group of cnidarians, estimated around 741 million years ago, almost 200 million years before the Cambrian period as well as any fossils. (Full article...)


Class Anthozoa, subclass Hexacorallia



Order Actiniaria, suborder Endocoelantheae



Family Halcuriidae


Suborder Nynantheae, infraorder Athenaria



Family Edwardsiidae


Family Halcampidae


Family Haloclavidae


Infraorder Thenaria



Superfamily Acontiaria, family Acontiophoridae


Family Aiptasiidae


Family Hormathiidae


Family Isophellidae


Family Nemanthidae


Family Sagartiidae


Superfamily Endomyaria, family Actiniidae


Family Actinodendronidae


Family Aliciidae


Family Condylanthidae


Family Liponematidae


Family Stichodactylidae


Superfamily Mesomyaria, family Actinostolidae


Suborder Ptychodacteae



Family Preactiidae


Superfamily Actiniaria incertae sedis, family Metridiidae


Order Antipatharia



Family Antipathidae


Order Ceriantharia, suborder Spirularia



Family Cerianthidae


Order Corallimorpharia



Family Corallimorphidae


Family Discosomatidae


Order Scleractinia



Family Acroporidae


Family Agariciidae


Family Caryophylliidae


Family Coscinaraeidae


Family Dendrophylliidae


Family Euphylliidae


Family Fungiidae


Family Lobophylliidae


Family Merulinidae


Family Mussidae, subfamily Faviinae


Family Plesiastreidae


Family Pocilloporidae


Family Poritidae


Family Psammocoridae


Scleractinia incertae sedis


Scleractinia incertae sedis


Order Zoantharia, suborder Brachycnemina



Family Sphenopidae


Family Zoanthidae


Suborder Macrocnemina



Family Parazoanthidae


Subclass Octocorallia



Order Alcyonacea, suborder Alcyoniina



Family Alcyoniidae


Family Nephtheidae


Family Nidaliidae


Family Parasphaerascleridae


Family Xeniidae


Order Calcaxonia



Family Chrysogorgiidae


Family Ellisellidae


Family Isididae


Family Primnoidae


Subrder Holaxonia



Family Acanthogorgiidae


Family Gorgoniidae


Family Keroeididae


Family Plexauridae


Suborder Scleraxonia



Family Anthothelidae


Subfamily Melithaeinae


Suborder Stolonifera



Family Clavulariidae


Family Tubiporidae


Order Pennatulacea



Family Chunellidae


Family Echinoptilidae


Family Scleroptilidae


Suborder Sessiliflorae



Family Anthoptilidae


Family Funiculinidae


Family Kophobelemnidae


Family Protoptilidae


Family Umbellulidae


Family Veretillidae


suborder Subsessiliflorae



Family Halipteridae


Family Pennatulidae


Family Virgulariidae


Class Cubozoa



Order Carybdeida



Family Carybdeidae


Family Tamoyidae


Order Chirodropida



Family Chirodropidae


Family Chiropsalmidae


Class Hydrozoa, subclass Hydroidolina



Order Anthoathecata, suborder Aplanulata



Family Candelabridae


Family Corymorphidae


Family Tubulariidae


Suborder Capitata



Family Asyncorynidae


Family Cladocorynidae


Family Family Cladonematidae


Family Corynidae


Family Halimedusidae


Family Milleporidae


Family Moerisiidae


Family Pennariidae


Family Porpitidae


Family Solanderiidae


Family Sphaerocorynidae


Family Teissieridae


Family Zancleidae


Family Zancleopsidae


Capitata incertae sedis


Capitata incertae sedis


Capitata incertae sedis


Suborder Filifera



Family Bougainvilliidae


Family Bythotiaridae


Family Cytaeididae


Family Eudendriidae


Family Hydractiniidae


Family Hydrichthyidae


Family Magapiidae


Family Oceaniidae


Family Pandeidae


Family Proboscidactylidae


Family Rathkeidae


Family Stylasteridae


Order Leptothecata



Family Aequoreidae


Family Blackfordiidae


Family Campanulinidae


Family Campanulariidae


Family Eirenidae


Family Hebellidae


Family Laodiceidae


Family Lineolariidae


Family Lovenellidae


Family Malagazziidae


Family Mitrocomidae


Family Phialellidae


Family Sertulariidae


Family Syntheciidae


Family Thyroscyphidae


Family Tiarannidae


Family Tiaropsidae


Superfamily Plumularioidea, family Aglaopheniidae


Family Haleciidae


Family Halopterididae


Family Kirchenpaueriidae


Family Lafoeidae


Family Plumulariidae


Order Siphonophorae, suborder Calycophorae



Family Abylidae, subfamily Abylinae


Subfamily Abylopsinae


Family Clausophyidae


Family Diphyidae, subfamily Diphyinae


Subfamily Sulculeolariinae


Family Hippopodiidae


Family Prayidae, subfamily Amphicaryoninae


Subfamily Nectopyramidinae


Subfamily Prayinae


Family Sphaeronectidae


Suborder Cystonectae



Family Physaliidae


Family Rhizophysidae


Suborder Physonectae



Family Agalmatidae


Family Apolemiidae


Family Forskaliidae


Family Physophoridae


Family Pyrostephidae


Subclass Trachylinae



Order Limnomedusae



Family Olindiidae


Order Narcomedusae



Family Aeginidae


Family Cuninidae


Family Solmarisidae


Order Trachymedusae



Family Geryoniidae


Family Halicreatidae


Family Rhopalonematidae


Class Scyphozoa



Order Coronatae



Family Atollidae


Family Nausithoidae


Family Periphyllidae


Order Carybdeida



Family Carybdeidae


Order Rhizostomeae, suborder Kolpophorae



Family Cassiopeidae


Family Cepheidae


Suborder Daktyliophorae



Familu Catostylidae


Family Rhizostomatidae


Order Semaeostomeae



Family Cyaneidae


Family Pelagiidae


Family Ulmaridae


Class Staurozoa



Order Stauromedusae, suborder Cleistocarpida



Family Depastridae


Family Lipkeidae


Notes



    References


    1. 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.
    2. King, Dennis. 1996. Reef fishes and corals: East coast of southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town. ISBN 1 86825 981 1
    3. Schleyer 2008, To be cited
    4. Schleyer MH, Celliers L (2003) Biodiversity on the marginal coral reefs of South Africa: What does the future hold? Zool Ver 345:387–400
    5. Williams, Gary C. (1992). "The Alcyonacea of Southern Africa. Stoloniferous Octocorals and Soft Corals (Coelenterata, Anthozoa)". Annals of the South African Museum. 100 (3). ISSN 0303-2515.
    6. McFadden, C.S. & L.P. van Ofwegen 2012. A revision of the soft coral genus, Eunephthya Verrill, 1869 (Anthozoa: Octocorallia: Nephtheidae), with a description of four new species from South Africa. Zootaxa 3485: 1-25
    7. Williams, Gary C. (July 1992). "The Alcyonacea of Southern Africa. Gorgonian Octocorals (Coelenterata. Anthozoa)". Annals of the South African Museum. 101 (8). ISSN 0303-2515.
    8. Williams, Gary C. (1990). "The Pennatulacea of Southern Africa (Coelentera, Anthozoa)". Annals of the South African Museum. 99 (4). ISSN 0303-2515.
    9. Millard, N.A.H. (December 1975). "Monograph on the Hydroida of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 68. ISSN 0303-2515.
    10. Gibbons, Mark J. An introduction to the Zooplankton of the Benguela Current Region. ISBN 0 620 24225 6.
    11. Jones, Georgina (2008). A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. Cape Town: SURG. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9.



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