- Home
- A-Z Publications
- African Invertebrates
African Invertebrates

E-ISSN: 2305-2562
African Invertebrates is published twice a year by the Council of the Natal Museum. African Invertebrates covers the taxonomy, systematics, biogeography, biology, ecology, conservation and palaeontology of Afrotropical invertebrates, whether terrestrial, freshwater or marine.
African Invertebrates is indexed in ISI Science Citation Index, Zoological Record, BIOSIS Previews, Scopus, EMBASE and GeoRef.
Publisher | Council of the Natal Museum |
---|---|
Frequency | Bi-annually |
Coverage | Vol 42 2001 - Vol 56 Issue 3 2015 |
Accreditation(s) |
Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) The Arts and Humanities Citation Index of the ISI |
Language | English |
Journal Status | Not Active |
Collection(s) |
-
-
Illustrated key and systematics of male South African Atherigona s. str. (Diptera: Muscidae)
A key to the males of Atherigona s. str. species is provided and all species known to occur in South Africaare treated. The number of previously described species known to occur in South Africa is increased to 43from the approximate previous 35, and an additional 25 new species: A. albicornis sp. n., A. capitulata sp. n., A. chrysohypene sp. n., A. convexa sp. n., A. danielssoni sp. n., A. erectisetula sp. n., A. flavifinis sp. n., A. flaviheteropalpata sp. n., A. heteropalpata sp. n., A. kirkspriggsi sp. n., A. latibasilaris sp. n., A. libertensissp. n., A. londti sp. n., A. ndumoensis sp. n., A. nesshurstensis sp. n., A. oblonga sp. n., A. parviclivis sp. n., A. parvihumilata sp. n., A. piscatoris sp. n., A. rimapicis sp. n., A. stuckenbergi sp. n., A. tigris sp. n., A. umbonata sp. n., A. vernoni sp. n. and A. zulu sp. n. are described. A. hancocki van Emden, 1940 is designated as junior synonym to A. divergens Stein, 1913.
-
-
-
An annotated and illustrated checklist of species of the coral genus Acropora (Cnidaria : Scleractinia) from Vamizi Island, Mozambique
The hermatypic coral fauna of the Western Indian Ocean is one of the least known globally. This is true of the East African Coast and especially Mozambique, where taxonomic studies are scarce and date mostly from decades ago. The morphology of coral species is subjected to a high level of geographical and environmental variability, which leads to difficulties in field identification and may limit the level of taxonomic resolution at which coral studies can be conducted. Thorough examination of collected specimens can provide more reliable identification of species and more importantly provide a physical record that can be studied further. We collected and identified 32 species of corals from the genus Acropora (Anthozoa: Scleractinia: Acroporidae) of Vamizi Island, northern Mozambique, and present an annotated and illustrated checklist of species. These species records illustrate the high diversity of Acropora in Vamizi, which is comparable to the diversity of this genus in the region. This study can help assess the biodiversity of the region and provides a baseline against which changes can be closely monitored.
-
-
-
Studying earthworms (Annelida : Oligochaeta) in South Africa
Earthworms are an important component of southern African invertebrate diversity, due both to their influential roles in soil ecosystems, and the relatively large number of species. As of 2010, there were 282 indigenous earthworm species (most endemic) known to South Africa belonging to three families: Microchaetidae, Tritogeniidae and Acanthodrilidae. In addition, 44 introduced species from six families had been recorded. However, earthworms are rarely included in environmental monitoring or conservation programmes-partly because sampling and species identification are difficult and many sampling methods are destructive and/or toxic. In this paper we review the earthworm sampling techniques most commonly used by screening data from a digitised literature collection on South African earthworms and on-line global searches. By examining a case study sampling of three vegetation types, this paper highlights taxonomic challenges and the effort required to properly curate specimens. The study provides recommendations for future sampling and highlights some key priorities for future work on the group. From the literature review in early 2012, it is clear that collection techniques are often insufficiently recorded in published work. A total of 10 938 publications from the period 1950 to 2012 were found from the literature search and digitised collection and from these only 32 papers recorded the sampling methodology (mainly hand sorting) for South African research, pointing to the need to adopt standard sampling and reporting protocols. We also tested two of the most popular methodologies in the field. Sampling was conducted in January and February 2012 at four sites, with 24 plots at each site (12 digging and 12using mustard extraction). A total of 2 094 earthworms collected could be assigned a species name, with introduced species predominating at both disturbed and natural sites. It took a team of three to five people digging and hand collecting all earthworm specimens encountered in a plot of 50 cm x 50 cm x 20 cm deep around 45 to 60 minutes. However, much more time was spent curating and identifying samples. While we recommend following the ISO (ISO11268-3, ISO23611-1) protocol for collecting introduced taxa, toget a complete inventory of South African earthworms a range of sampling techniques will be required; inparticular, a large 1 m x 1 m x 20 cm plot is required for many large bodied native taxa, and the collection of giant earthworms will require different approaches. The identification of specimens requires skills that are scarce in the country and so there is an urgent need for training and funding for fundamental work on earthworm taxonomy. An atlasing project could serve as a focal point for future research. In providing some general recommendations based on the long and fruitful history of research on earthworms in South Africa, we are optimistic that a better understanding of the group will help us to both improve our usage of natural resources and provide insights into this vitally important edaphic group.
-
-
-
In honor of Brian Stuckenberg : two new Spheginobaccha species of flower flies (Diptera : Syrphidae) from the Afrotropics
The Afrotropical species of genus Spheginobaccha are reviewed and a new identification key is provided. Two new species are described: S. stuckenbergi from Madagascar and S. pamela from South Africa.
-
-
-
A review of the genus Philodicus Loew, 1848 in southern Africa (Diptera : Asilidae)
The history of taxonomic work undertaken on Afrotropical Philodicus Loew, 1848 is summarised. Details relating to the southern African fauna are provided. Five species occur in the sub-region: P. cinerascens (Ricardo, 1900), P. dubius Ricardo, 1921, P. fraterculus (Walker, 1855), P. swynnertoni Hobby, 1933 and P. tenuipes Loew, 1858. A lectotype and paralectotype are designated for P. dubius. A key to the species is provided along with new illustrations of male terminalia in order to facilitate identification. All known records are provided for these species along with distribution maps and notes on their biology. All species are found near places where free water may be found. All known prey records are provided and discussed,and a strong preference for grasshoppers (Acrididae) is noted.
-
-
-
Madagascan Caliscelidae (Hemiptera, Fulgoroidea): current knowledge and description of a new genus and species
A checklist of Caliscelidae known from Madagascar is provided. Campures pallens gen. n. et sp. n. is described from Toliara Province. Notes on the evolution and biogeography of the family Caliscelidae are given.
-

E-ISSN: 2305-2562
© Publisher: Council of the Natal Museum

E-ISSN: 2305-2562
© Publisher: Council of the Natal Museum