List of marine heterobranch gastropods of South Africa

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

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

This is a sub-list of the list of marine gastropods of South Africa, which is in turn a sub-list of the list of marine molluscs of South Africa.

Heterobranchia, the heterobranchs (meaning "different-gilled snails"), is a taxonomic clade of snails and slugs, which includes marine, aquatic and terrestrial gastropod mollusks.

Heterobranchia is one of the main clades of gastropods. Currently Heterobranchia comprises three informal groups: the lower heterobranchs, the opisthobranchs and the pulmonates. (Full article...)

Heterobranchia

Architectonicidae

  • Variegated sundial shell Heliacus variegatus (Gmelin, 1791) (Eastern Cape to Mozambique)

Siphonariidae - False limpets

  • Siphonaria annaea Tomlin, 1944 (Durban northwards)
  • Cape False limpet Siphonaria capensis Quoy and Gaimard (Namibia to northern KwaZulu-Natal)
  • Siphonaria compressa Allanson, 1958
  • Siphonaria concinna Sowerby, 1824 (Cape Point to Zululand)
  • Siphonaria nigerrima Smith, 1903 (Zululand to Mozambique)
  • Siphonaria oculus Krauss, 1848 (Cape Point to Zululand)
  • Siphonaria serrata Fischer, 1807 (Saldanha Bay to Zululand)
  • Siphonaria tenuicostulata Smith, 1903 (Durban to Mozambique)

Ringiculidae

  • Ringicula turtoni Bartsch, 1915

Acteonidae

  • Acteon fortis Thiele, 1925
  • Acteon flammeus (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Acteon pudicus (A. Adams, 1854)
  • Rictaxis albis (Sowerby, 1873)
  • Japonacteon sp.
  • Pupa affinis (A. Adams, 1854)
  • Pupa niecaensis (Barnard, 1963)
  • Pupa solidula (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Pupa sulcata (Gmelin, 1791)
  • Pupa suturalis (A. Adams, 1854)
  • Pupa tessellata (Reeve, 1842)

Bullinidae

  • Bullina scabra Gmelin, 1791
  • Bullina oblonga Sowerby, 1897

Hydatinidae

Cylichnidae

  • Cylichnella agulhasensis (Thiele, 1925)
  • Cylichnella meridionalis (Smith, 1902)
  • Cylichnella miniscula (Turton, 1932)
  • Cylichnella natalensis (Barnard, 1963)
  • Cylichnella nitens (Smith, 1872)
  • Cylichnella smithi (Bartsch, 1915)
  • Cylichna africana Bartsch, 1915
  • Cylichna bistriata Tomlin, 1920
  • Cylichna dulcis Thiele. 1925
  • Cylichna nitens Smith, 1903
  • Cylichna remissa Smith, 1890
  • Cylichna tubulosa Gould, 1859
  • Scaphander punctostriatus (Mighels. 1841)

Retusidae

  • Retusa agulhasensis Thiele, 1925
  • Retusa natalensis Barnard, 1963
  • Retusa sp. cf. nicobarica Thiele, 1925
  • Retusa sp. cf. semen Thiele, 1925
  • Retusa truncatula Bruguiere, 1792
  • Volvulella mutabilis (Barnard, 1963)
  • Volvulella pia (Thiele, 1925)
  • Volvulella rostrata (A. Adams, 1854)

Philinidae

  • Sand slug Philine aperta (Linnaeus, 1767) (Cape Columbine to Mozambique)
  • Philine berghi Smith, 1910

Gastropteridae

Aglajidae

Haminoeidae

  • Atys cylindrica (Heibling, 1779)
  • Green bubble shell Haminoea alfredensis Bartsch, 1915 (Namaqualand to Eastern Cape)
  • Haminoea natalensis (Krauss, 1848) (KwaZulu-Natal)
  • Roxania utriculus (Brocchi, 1814)
  • Smaragdinella sieboldi A. Adams, 1864
  • Smaragdinella calyculata (Broderip and Sowerby, 1829)
  • Phenerophthalmus smaragdinus (Ruppell and Leuckart, 1831)

Runcinidae

  • Metaruncina sp.

Bullidae

Limacinidae

Cavoliniidae

Peraclididae

  • Peraclis moluccensis (Tesch, 1903)
  • Peraclis reticulata (Orbigny, 1836)

Cymbuliidae

Desmopteridae

  • Desmopterus papilio Chun 1889

Gymnosomata

Clionidae

Pneumodermatidae

Anaspidea

Akeridae

  • Akera soluta (Gmelin 1791)

Aplysiidae

Sacoglossa

Oxynoidae

Juliidae

Volvatellidae

  • Ascobulla fischeri (Adams & Angas, 1864)
  • Volvatella laguncula Sowerby, 1894

Placobranchidae

  • Elysia halimedae Macnae, 1954
  • Elysia marginata (Pease, 1871)
  • Elysia moebii (Bergh, 1888)
  • Elysia livida Baba, 1955
  • Elysia rufescens (Pease, 1871)
  • Elysia vatae Risbec, 1928
  • Elysia virgata (Bergh, 1888)
  • Plant-sucking nudibranch Elysia viridis (Montagu, 1804) (Namaqualand to northern KwaZulu-Natal)
  • Plant-sucking nudibranch Elysia sp. This may be the same species as listed above as E. viridis. There may be question of identification.
  • Elysia spp. (7)

Limapontiidae

  • Dendritic nudibranch Placida dendritica (Alder & Hancock, 1843)
  • Stiliger ornatus Ehrenberg, 1831

Caliphyllidae

Hermaeidae

Notaspidea

Umbraculidae

  • Tylodina alfredensis Turton, 1932
  • Umbrella pleurobranch Umbraculum sinicum (Gmelin, 1783) (transkei to Mozambique)

Pleurobranchidae

  • Berthella plumula (Montagu, 1803)
  • Berthella tupala Marcus, 1957
  • Berthella sp.
  • Lemon pleurobranch Berthellina citrina (Ruppell and Leuckart, 1828) (Cape Point to Mozambique)
  • Lemon pleurobranch Berthellina granulata (Krauss, 1848) (This may replace previous entry B. citrina)
  • Euselenops luniceps (Cuvier, 1817)
  • Pleurobranchaea algoensis Thiele, 1925
  • Pleurobranchaea brockii Bergh, 1897
  • Pleurobranchaea melanopus Bergh, 1907
  • Pleurobranchaea pleurobrancheana (Bergh, 1907)
  • Dwarf warty pleurobranch Pleurobranchaea tarda Verrill, 1880
  • Warty pleurobranch Pleurobranchaea bubala Marcus and Gosliner, 1984 (Cape Point to Eastern Cape)
  • Pleurobranchella nicobarica Thiele, 1925
  • Mosaic pleurobranch Pleurobranchus albiguttatus (Bergh, 1905)
  • Pleurobranchus disceptus O'Donoghue, 1929
  • Pleurobranchus inhacae Macnae, 1962
  • Pleurobranchus moebii Vayssiere, 1898
  • Pleurobranchus nigropunctatus (Bergh, 1907)
  • Pleurobranchus papillosa (O'Donoghue, 1929)
  • Pleurobranchus peroni Cuvier, 1804
  • Pleurobranchus perrieri Vayssiere, 1896
  • Pleurobranchus sculptata (O'Donoghue, 1929)
  • Pleurobranchus xhosa Macnae, 1962

Nudibranchia - Nudibranchs

Bathydorididae

  • Doridoxa benthalis Barnard, 1963

Dorididae

  • Aldisa benguelae Gosliner, 1985
  • Three-spot nudibranch Aldisa trimaculata Gosliner, 1985
  • ?Alloiodoris inhacae O'Donoghue, 1929
  • Archidoris capensis Bergh, 1907
  • Archidoris scripta Bergh, 1907
  • Rugby ball dorid or Spined dorid Atagema rugosa Pruvot-Fol, 1951
  • Atagema gibba Pruvot-Fol, 1951
  • Warty dorid Doris verrucosa Linnaeus, 1758 Orange river to Eastern Cape
  • Doris granosa (Bergh, 1907)
  • Doris spp. (2)
  • Doriopsis pecten (Collingwood, 1881)
  • ? Ocellate dorid Gargamella sp.1
  • ?Gargamella sp.2
  • Velvet dorid Jorunna tomentosa (Cuvier, 1804)
  • Dotted nudibranch Jorunna zania (Transkei to northern KwaZulu-Natal)Marcus 1976

The following four species are listed as incertae sedis by Gosliner:

  • Doris natalensis Krauss, 1848
  • Doris pseudida Bergh, 1907
  • Doris perplexa Bergh, 1907
  • Doris glabella Bergh, 1907

Actinocyclidae

  • Hallaxa sp.

Chromodorididae

Discodorididae

Phyllidiidae

Dendrodorididae

Mandeliidae

Onchidorididae

Corambidae

Goniodorididae

Polyceridae

Aegiridae

Gymnodorididae

Hexabranchidae

Okadaiidae

  • Okadaia elegans Baba 1931

Charcotiidae

Dotidae

Embletoniidae

Proctonotidae

  • Gas flame nudibranch Bonisa nakaza Gosliner, 1981 (Cape Peninsula to Eastern Cape)
  • Cape silvertip nudibranch or Silvertip nudibranch Janolus capensis Bergh, 1907 (Cape Columbine to Eastern Cape)
  • Medallion silvertip nudibranch Janolus longidentatus Gosliner, 1981
  • Nippled nudibranch Janolus sp.

Arminidae

  • Armina berghi Thiele, 1925
  • Armina capensis (Bergh, 1907)
  • Armina euchroa (Bergh, 1907)
  • Gilchrists sand slug Armina gilchristi (Bergh, 1907)
  • Armina grisea O'Donoghue, 1927
  • Armina microdonta (Bergh, 1907)
  • Armina natalensis (Bergh, 1866)
  • Armina serrata O'Donoghue, 1929
  • Armina simoniana Thiele, 1925
  • Striped sand slug or Pierre's armina Armina sp.
  • White-ridged nudibranch Dermatobranchus sp. 1 (Gosliner)
  • Dermatobranchus sp. 2
  • Dermatobranchus sp. 3
  • Brown ridged nudibranch or narrow ridged nudibranch Dermatobranchus sp. 4 (Gosliner)


Tritoniidae

Aranucidae

Bornellidae

Dendronotidae

Scyllaeidae

Tethydidae

  • Dinosaur nudibranch Melibe liltvedi Gosliner, 1987
  • Cowled nudibranch Melibe rosea Rang, 1829 (Orange river to Eastern Cape)
  • Melibe pilosa Pease, 1860
  • Melibe sp.

Flabellinidae


Fionidae


Eubranchidae


Tergipedidae

Aeolidiidae

Facelinidae

Glaucidae

Family ?

Cavoliniidae

Pulmonata

Onchidiidae