Possible synonymies of Zoanthus (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) species on the east coast of South Africa with Pacific congeners

Zoanthids cover large patches on the rocky shores of KwaZulu-Natal and northern parts of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. No molecular identification has been carried out on these organisms on the South African shoreline. Zoanthus sansibaricus Carlgren, 1900 has a global distribution and has been reported having numerous morphotypes in terms of polyp shape, size, colour and oral disk colour. The molecular characteristics of three Zoanthus species, Z. sansibaricus, Zoanthus durbanensis Carlgren, 1938 and Zoanthus natalensis Carlgren, 1938, were investigated to determine whether they are three separate species or merely morphotypes of one another. Samples were collected between May 2012 and July 2013, ranging from Umgazana (31.7024°S, 29.4175°E) to Ballito (29.5451°S, 31.2160°E) on the east coast of South Africa and at one site in Libanona, Madagascar (25.0421°S, 46.9952°E). Cytochrome oxidase subunit one (COI), mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (mt 16S rDNA) and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer region ...