ZOOTHAMNIIDAE, G.Sommer, 1951

Mead, A., Carlton, J. T., Griffiths, C. L. & Rius, M., 2011, Introduced and cryptogenic marine and estuarine species of South Africa, Journal of Natural History 45 (39 - 40), pp. 2463-2524 : 2470

Family ZOOTHAMNIIDAE

Zoothamnium sp. Cryptogenic

This abundant colonial protist is often a dominant member of marine and estuarine microfouling communities. Millard (1952) may have been among the first to note its presence (as “ Zoothamnion ”) in South Africa, reporting it within fouling records from Table Bay Harbour, Cape Town. The collections were made in 1947–1949. Assuming the one or more species present in South African harbours are not native, they were probably introduced centuries ago with ship fouling. Modern era introductions have no doubt supplemented the populations by means of ballast water.