Bivalvia | ... | Unionoidea | Unionidae | Unioninae | Unionini | Unionina | Unio
186 specimens + 1 GenBank voucher
Krauss, 1848. Südafrik. Moll.: 18, pl. 1, fig. 14.
Type(s): TYPE SMF_XXX, Rivers of Natal.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio caffer — Ortmann (1918), Heard & Vail (1976), Appleton (1979), Graf (2000), Graf & Ó Foighil (2000), ... Graf & Cummings (2021), Bieler (2021), Lopes-Lima et al. (2021), Lyubas et al. (2022), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Cafferia caffra — Connolly (1925), Connolly (1931), Haas (1936), Modell (1942), Haas (1969), ... Hoeh et al. (2009), Bogan (2010), Graf & Cummings (2011), Reis et al. (2013), Marshall et al. (2014)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Thiele (1934), Connolly (1939), Graf (2002)
Cafferia caffer — Graf & Cummings (2006), Jadhav & Jamkhedkar (2009)
Menke, 1849. Zeitschr. f. Malakozool. 5: 28.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) zeyheri — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) zeyheri — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Philippi, 1853. Zeitschr. f. Malakozool. 8: 125.
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Lea, 1856. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 8: 94.
Lea, 1857. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 3 [O. 6]: 300 [20], pl. 27, fig. 15.
Type(s): LECTOTYPE USNM_85233, C. Good Hope.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africana — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. africana — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africanus — Simpson (1914)
Unio africanus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
‘Charpentier mss.’ Küster, 1856. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 150, pl. 43, fig. 6.
Cafferia caffra verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1925)
Lampsilis (Cyrtonaias) umbrosa — Frierson (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Heard & Vail (1976)

Lea, 1856. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 8: 94.
Lea, 1857. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 3 [O. 6]: 301 [21], pl. 27, fig. 16.
(renamed Unio verreauxianus Lea, 1867)
Type(s): LECTOTYPE USNM_84418 (by Boyko & Sage, 1996: 28), C. Good Hope.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Cafferia caffra verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1925)
Unio verreauianus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Bieler (2021)

Lea, 1859. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 11: 151.
(incorrect original spelling of Unio diminutus Lea, 1859)
Type(s): LECTOTYPE BMNH_1965165, East Africa.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) diminuta — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) diminutus — Simpson (1914)
Unio diminutus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Bieler (2021)

Lea, 1859. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 11: 151 [as ‘diminutis’].
Lea, 1860. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 4 [O. 7]: 254, pl. 39, fig. 134.
(correct name for Unio diminutis Lea, 1859)
Type(s): BMNH_1965165, East Africa.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) diminuta — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) diminuta — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) diminutus — Simpson (1914)
Unio diminutus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Bieler (2021)
‘Parreiss in sched.’ Küster, 1861. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 239, pl. 80, fig. 3.
(homonym of Unio gratiosus Philippi, 1843)
Unio diminutus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)

Lea, 1864. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 16: 113.
Lea, 1866. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. 6 [O. 11]: 59 [63], pl. 20, fig. 57.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (MONOTYPY) ANSP_41686, Umpingave River, Natal, S. Afr.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio natalensis — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2011)
Dunker, 1866. Verh. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 16: 915.
(homonym of Unio zelebori Zelebor, 1851)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) zelebori — Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Hyridella (Echyridella) menziesi — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969)
Cafferia caffra — Marshall & Fenwick (2006), Marshall et al. (2014)

O. Boettger, 1866. Ber. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 1885/86: 27, pl. 2, figs. 6-7.
Type(s): TYPE SMF_3442, Hygap östl. v. Keheum, S. Kalahari.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) fissidens — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) fissidens — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) fissidens — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

O. Boettger, 1866. Ber. Senckenb. Naturf. Ges. 1885/86: 26, pl. 2, fig. 5.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE SMF_3441, Hygap östl. v. Keheum, S. Kalahari.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) hygapanus — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) hygapanus — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) hygapanus — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Marshall & Fenwick (2006)
Lea, 1867. Obs., index I-XI: errata.
Lea, 1870. Synopsis Fam. Naiades: 36.
(new name for Unio verreauianus Lea, 1856)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. verreauxiana — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio verreauianus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Cafferia caffra — Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Bieler (2021)

Sowerby, 1868. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 65, sp. 332.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE BMNH_74-12-11-4, Riv. Columbia.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)

Chaper, 1885. Bull. Soc. Zool. France 10: 480, pl. 11, figs. 1-3.
Type(s): SYNTYPES MNHN_MP_0180, la Vaal, Afrique Australe.
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. vaalensis — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. vaalensis — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. vaalensis — Simpson (1914)
Unio natalensis — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Marshall & Fenwick (2006), Graf & Cummings (2011)
Paetel, 1890. Cat. Conch.-Samml. 3: 154.
(reference to Unio gratiosus ‘Parreiss in sched.’ Küster, 1861)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) diminuta — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) diminutus — Simpson (1914)
‘Kuster’ of Authors.
E.A. Smith, 1891. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 8: 319.
Sturany, 1899. Denk. Ak. Wien 67: 627.
Connolly, 1925. Rec. Albany Mus. 3: [1].
Connolly, 1939. Ann. S. Afr. Mus. 33: 608.
Heard & Vail, 1976. Zool. Africana 11(1): 45.
(error for Unio verrauxi Küster, 1856)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Daget (1998)
Sturany, 1898. Anz. Kais. Akad. Wiss. , Math.-Nat. Classe 35(16): 161.
Sturany, 1899. Denk. Ak. Wien 67: 627, pl. 3, figs. 64-65.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio caffer Krauss, 1848)
Type(s): SYNTYPES NMW_XXX, Panda ma tinka (Zambezi drainage).
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. pentheri — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer var. pentheri — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Marshall & Fenwick (2006)
Cafferia caffer — Graf & Cummings (2006)

Preston, 1910. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6: 60, pl. 4, fig. 6.
Type(s): FIGURED SYNTYPE MRAC_56592, Brit. C. Afr.: Silongwe.
Unio charon — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2011)

Preston, 1910. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6: 61, pl. 4, fig. 10 [as ‘mashonæ’].
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (ORIG. DESIG.) BMNH_1910-1-15-6, Banks of a strait, or on the veldt about 16 miles from Enkeldoorn, Mashonaland.
Unio (sec. Cafferia) mashonae — Simpson (1914)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Graf & Cummings (2011)
Cafferia caffer — Graf & Cummings (2006)

Preston, 1910. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 6: 60, pl. 4, fig. 7.
(renamed Unio silongweensis Preston, 1912; homonym of Unio vicinus Lea, 1857)
Type(s): FIGURED SYNTYPE MRAC_56589, Brit. C. Afr.: Silongwe.
Unio silongweensis — Simpson (1914), Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998), Marshall & Fenwick (2006)
Preston, 1912. Nautilus 26: 35.
(new name for Unio vicinus Preston, 1910)
Unio silongweensis — Simpson (1914), Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Mandahl-Barth (1988), Daget (1998)

Pilsbry, 1923. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 75: 276, text fig. 1; pl. 19, figs. 3-4.
Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927. Bull. AMNH 53: 380.
Type(s): HOLOTYPE (ORIG. DESIG.) ANSP_125501A, Port Natal, Africa.
Unio (Cafferia) connollyi — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer connollyi — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
Unio caffer — Heard & Vail (1976)

Connolly, 1925. Rec. Albany Mus. 3: 261, pl. 1, figs. 1-4.
(intro'd as intra-sp. of Unio caffer Krauss, 1848)
Type(s): POSSIBLE SYNTYPES MCZ_52457, Bushmans River, Alicedale, South Africa.
Cafferia caffra obesa — Connolly (1925)
Unio (Cafferia) connollyi — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer connollyi — Connolly (1939)
Cafferia caffra — Haas (1969), Daget (1998)
‘Krauss’ Küster, 1856. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 143, pl. 42, fig. 3. [in part]
(reference to Unio caffer Küster, 1856)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africana — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africanus — Simpson (1914)
‘Krauss’ Küster, 1856. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 143, pl. 42, fig. 2. [in part]
(reference to Unio caffer Krauss, 1848)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
‘Caillaud’ Küster, 1856. Conchyl. Cab. 9(2): 158, pl. 45, fig. 5.
(misidentified reference to Unio niloticus Cailliaud, 1827)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africana — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cælatura [sic]) nilotica — Pallary (1909)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africanus — Simpson (1914)
‘Lea’ Sowerby, 1868. Conch. Icon. 16: pl. 69, sp. 352.
(error for Unio verreauianus Lea, 1856)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
‘Menke’ Lea, 1870. Synopsis Fam. Naiades: 64.
(error for Unio zeyheri Menke, 1849)
‘Parreyss’ Jickeli, 1874. Nova Acta Dtsch. Akad. Naturf. 37(1): 280.
(intro'd as syn of Unio diminutus Lea, 1859)
Unio diminutus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Diplodon (Hyridella s.s.) zelebori — Simpson (1900), Simpson (1914)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africana — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. vaalensis — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) diminuta — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) zeyheri — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) fissidens — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (sec. Cafferia) hygapanus — Simpson (1900)
Nodularia (Cælatura [sic]) nilotica — Pallary (1909)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. africana — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. vaalensis — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) caffra var. verreauxiana — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) diminuta — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) fissidens — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) hygapanus — Kobelt (1910)
Nodularia (Cafferia) zeyheri — Kobelt (1910)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. africanus — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. vaalensis — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) caffer var. pentheri — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) mashonae — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) diminutus — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) fissidens — Simpson (1914)
Unio (sec. Cafferia) hygapanus — Simpson (1914)
Unio charon — Simpson (1914)
Unio silongweensis — Simpson (1914), Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio caffer — Ortmann (1918), Heard & Vail (1976), Appleton (1979), Graf (2000), Graf & Ó Foighil (2000), ... Graf & Cummings (2021), Bieler (2021), Lopes-Lima et al. (2021), Lyubas et al. (2022), Campbell & Lydeard (2026)
Cafferia caffra verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1925)
Cafferia caffra — Connolly (1925), Connolly (1931), Haas (1936), Modell (1942), Haas (1969), ... Hoeh et al. (2009), Bogan (2010), Graf & Cummings (2011), Reis et al. (2013), Marshall et al. (2014)
Cafferia caffra obesa — Connolly (1925)
Lampsilis (Cyrtonaias) umbrosa — Frierson (1927)
Unio africanus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927), Thiele (1934), Connolly (1939), Graf (2002)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer var. pentheri — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) connollyi — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio diminutus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio natalensis — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio verreauianus — Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer verreauxi [sic] — Connolly (1939)
Unio (Cafferia) caffer connollyi — Connolly (1939)
Hyridella (Echyridella) menziesi — McMichael & Hiscock (1958), Haas (1969)
Cafferia caffer — Graf & Cummings (2006), Jadhav & Jamkhedkar (2009)