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Invertebrates on Isolated Peaks in the Ukhahlamba- Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa
Page 1 of 10 Original Research Invertebrates on isolated peaks in the uKhahlamba- Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa Authors: A survey to document and describe the alpine flora and various focal faunal taxa on six 1 Adrian J. Armstrong isolated inselberg-like peaks (total area of 31.9 ha), all 3000 m or higher, located in the Robert F. Brand2 uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa, was undertaken in early Affiliations: summer in 2005. Study of the fauna of these peaks should be informative because the impacts 1Conservation Planning of controllable anthropogenic threats on the invertebrate communities on them should be Division, Ezemvelo KZN minimal or absent in comparison with those on the main massif. A total of 341 invertebrate Wildlife, South Africa individuals representing 61 species were recorded from the focal taxa (Oligochaeta, 2Environmental, Water and Gastropoda and certain groups of Insecta, i.e. focal taxa within the Blattoidea, Dermaptera, Earth Sciences, Tshwane Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera). The 61 species University of Technology, recorded consisted of two species from the Oligochaeta, one species from the Gastropoda and South Africa 58 species from the Insecta. Eleven species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are Correspondence to: endemic and 11 species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are probably endemic Adrian Armstrong to the Drakensberg Alpine Centre, constituting 36.1% of the total species recorded. The results suggest that the Drakensberg Alpine Centre (DAC), as for plants, is a centre of endemism Email: [email protected] for invertebrates. Cluster analysis showed that the species composition of the two northern peaks, Sentinel and Eastern Buttress, clustered together, separate from a cluster formed by the Postal address: Outer Horn, Inner Horn and Dragon’s Back and from the cluster formed by the southernmost PO Box 13053, Cascades peak, Cathkin. -
Mollusc Collections at South African Institutions: AUTHOR: Mary Cole1,2 Development and Current Status
Mollusc collections at South African institutions: AUTHOR: Mary Cole1,2 Development and current status AFFILIATIONS: 1East London Museum, East London, South Africa There are three major mollusc collections in South Africa and seven smaller, thematic collections. The 2Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, KwaZulu-Natal Museum holds one of the largest collections in the southern hemisphere. Its strengths are Makhanda, South Africa marine molluscs of southern Africa and the southwestern Indian Ocean, and terrestrial molluscs of South Africa. Research on marine molluscs has led to revisionary papers across a wide range of gastropod CORRESPONDENCE TO: Mary Cole families. The Iziko South African Museum contains the most comprehensive collections of Cephalopoda (octopus, squid and relatives) and Polyplacophora (chitons) for southern Africa. The East London Museum EMAIL: [email protected] is a provincial museum of the Eastern Cape. Recent research focuses on terrestrial molluscs and the collection is growing to address the gap in knowledge of this element of biodiversity. Mollusc collections DATES: in South Africa date to about 1900 and are an invaluable resource of morphological and genetic diversity, Received: 06 Oct. 2020 with associated spatial and temporal data. The South African National Biodiversity Institute is encouraging Revised: 10 Dec. 2020 Accepted: 12 Feb 2021 discovery and documentation to address gaps in knowledge, particularly of invertebrates. Museums are Published: 29 July 2021 supported with grants for surveys, systematic studies and data mobilisation. The Department of Science and Innovation is investing in collections as irreplaceable research infrastructure through the Natural HOW TO CITE: Cole M. Mollusc collections at South Science Collections Facility, whereby 16 institutions, including those holding mollusc collections, are African institutions: Development assisted to achieve common targets and coordinated outputs. -
Studies on the Ecology and Systematics of the Terrestrial Molluscs of the Lake Sibaya Area of Zululand, South Africa
STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS OF THE TERRESTRIAL MOLLUSCS OF THE LAKE SIBAYA AREA OF ZULULAND, SOUTH AFRICA by A. C. VAN BRUGGEN Dept. of Systematic Zoology and Evolutionary Biology of the University, c/o Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden, Netherlands and C. C. APPLETON Bilharzia Field Research Unit of the South African Medical Research Council, Nelspruit, South Africa With 10 text-figures and 4 plates CONTENTS Ι. General introduction 3 2. Notes on the climate, ecology and isolation of the coastal dune forest at Lake Sibaya, pertinent to its molluscan fauna 5 2a. Introduction 5 2b. Climate 7 20 Description of the habitats 12 2d. Ecological observations on the Mollusca 13 2e. The origin and isolation of the dune forest environment 14 3. Systematic part 17 3a. Gastropoda Prosobranchia 18 3b. Gastropoda Pulmonata 19 3c. Zoogeographical conclusions 38 4. Summary 41 5. References 41 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION Lake Sibaya (sometimes misspelt Sibayi) is a freshwater lake on the subtropical coastal plain of Zululand, the northeastern part of the province of Natal, South Africa. Northern Zululand, usually called Tongaland, a fairly narrow stretch of country wedged between the Indian Ocean and the eastern border of Swaziland and bounded to the north by Mozambique, is particularly interesting from biogeographical and ecological points of view. The area harbours a rich terrestrial malacofauna, which has been partly discussed by Van Bruggen (1969), while some early data are also recorded 4 ZOOLOGISCHE VERHANDELINGEN 154 (1977) in Connolly's monograph (1939).The junior author (Appleton) was privileged to be able to spend a year in 1972/3 at the Lake Sibaya Research Station of Rhodes University (Grahamstown) on the eastern shore of the lake, during which period as a sideline he studied the ecology of and generally surveyed the land molluscs of the wide surroundings of the station. -
동양달팽이 (Nesiohelix Samarangae) 의 CO-I 유전자를 이용한 분자계통학적 연구
Korean J. Malacol. 30(4): 391-397 2014 http://dx.doi.org/10.9710/kjm.2014.30.4.391 동양달팽이 (Nesiohelix samarangae) 의 CO-I 유전자를 이용한 분자계통학적 연구 방인석1, 이용석 순천향대학교 자연과학대학 생명시스템학과 1호서대학교 자연과학대학 생명과학과, 기초과학연구소 Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Nesiohelix samarangae Based on CO-I Gene In Seok Bang1 and Yong Seok Lee Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, College of Natural Sciences, Soonchunhyang University 1Department of Biological Science and the Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Hoseo University, Asan 336-795 ABSTRACT Previously, we have reported expressed sequence tags (ESTs) analysis on the land snail, Nesiohelix samarangae (Ns). Of these ESTs, we have identified four partial fragments of N. samarangae cytochrome oxydase I (NsCO-I) gene which lead to obtain an 852 bp partial cDNA. Since NsCO-I is one of the best-known molecular phylogenetic markers, we have attempted to conduct comparative in silico analysis by using the NsCO-I gene. The combined results from BLAST analyses, multiple sequence alignment and molecular phylogenetic study of NsCO-I cDNA indicate that N. samarangae has similarity to three land snails such as Elona quimperiana, Euhadra herklotsi and Euhadra idzumonis. Key words: Nesiohelix samarangae, CO-I, Phylogenetic study 서 론 subunit I) 는 연체동물문을 비롯한 많은 문에서 DNA 바코 드로 종 판별 마커로 사용되고 있으며 유전정보가 다량으로 축 유전적 특성을 이용하여 다양한 종을 명확히 식별하기 위해 적되어있어 마커 개발이 쉽고 종 내 또는 종 간의 진화적 유연 서는 동정에 사용되는 유전자가 집단 간 차이 혹은 유전자 흐 관계를 밝히는데 유용하다 (Hebert et al., 2003). 미토콘드리 름이나 유전적 부동과 같은 유연관계 양상을 파악할 수 있는 아 CO-I 유전자의 전체 길이는 1,500 bp 내외이나 대부분의 민감도가 뛰어나야 한다 (Kim et al., 2013). -
THE STUDY of SNAILS and SLUGS in EAST AFRICA Most Members Of
52 VOL. XXII THE STUDY OF SNAILS AND SLUGS IN EAST AFRICA By BERNARD VERDCOURT, B.SC., F.L.S. Most members of the Society probably see a few snails during their rambles, but have not been able to identify them. Many may not have realised that they are worth collecting. Much material is still needed from East Africa particularly by local Museums. Every member can help by collecting. Material complete with the animal preserved in spirit is parti• cularly needed. Almost any species of snail drowned, and then preserved is of great value for anatomical investigations. Any member thinking of specialising on a particular group could do a considerable amount of new work. The writer is willing to receive material at the East African Herba• rium, P.O. Box 5166, Nairobi and attempt identifications. Any material received will be put in the study collection of the Coryndon Museum. Snails and slugs belong to the Mollusca which is the second largest group in the animal kingdom, following the insects in abundance of individuals and species. It comes a very poor second, however, there being perhaps about 70,000 described molluscs as against a million or more insects. The phylum Mollusca contains a wide variety of animals which would perhaps not be associated with each other by a layman. Octopi, mussels, chitons, slugs, sea and land shells all belong to the same phylum. It is not a very easy group to define; most of the members of it have a shell which is laid down by tissues known as the mantle; those having a head develop a highly characteristic rasping organ termed a radula (about which more will be said in another article); most species have a muscular foot used for locomotion; and all have a rather complicated nervous and reproductive system. -
Invertebrate Diversity in Afrotemperate Forests: Spatial and Seasonal Changes and Implications for Conservation
INVERTEBRATE DIVERSITY IN AFROTEMPERATE FORESTS: SPATIAL AND SEASONAL CHANGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION By CHARMAINE JANET UYS Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Pietermaritzburg 2006 ii ABSTRACT Forests in the Drakensberg Mountains, although generally small and fragmented, represent a wealth of globally significant biodiversity. This is especially true of the invertebrate fauna, which includes a range of localized endemic species. Ground dwelling, flightless invertebrates living in forests show relative immobility and poor dispersal abilities compared to birds, butterflies and other animal taxa. The naturally fragmented state of Afrotemperate forests also geographically isolates these taxa. No quantified, systematic surveys of flightless invertebrates have been conducted in Afrotemperate forests in the Drakensberg Mountains. This means that, to date, invertebrates have not been considered in the management of these habitats. However, invertebrates are vitally important in ecosystem functioning and maintenance and must be included in management plans. This study quantified flightless invertebrate diversity in Afrotemperate forest patches in the Drakensberg by investigating spatial patterns and seasonal changes in invertebrate diversity. The broad objectives were to: 1) Determine the appropriate spatial scale at which conservation of flightless invertebrates should be implemented; 2) Determine which season, taxa and sampling methods are most suitable for biodiversity assessment and monitoring in Afrotemperate forest; and 3) Investigate methods of prioritizing Afrotemperate forests for conservation of flightless invertebrate diversity. Seventeen forest patches in six valleys in four Drakensberg reserves (Rugged Glen Nature Reserve, Royal Natal National Park, Cathedral Peak and Injisuthi) were sampled in the summer of 2004/2005. -
Zootaxa, a Morphological Phylogenetic Analysis And
Zootaxa 2462: 1–148 (2010) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ Monograph ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2010 · Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) ZOOTAXA 2462 A morphological phylogenetic analysis and generic revision of Australian Helicarionidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Stylommatophora), and an assessment of the relationships of the family ISABEL T. HYMAN1,2 & WINSTON F. PONDER2 1School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; 2Australian Museum, 6 College St Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia; E-mail: [email protected] Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand Accepted by B. Ruthensteiner: 8 Feb. 2010; published: 14 May 2010 ISABEL T. HYMAN & WINSTON F. PONDER A morphological phylogenetic analysis and generic revision of Australian Helicarionidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Stylommatophora), and an assessment of the relationships of the family (Zootaxa 2462) 148 pp.; 30 cm. 14 May 2010 ISBN 978-1-86977-523-0 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-86977-524-7 (Online edition) FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2010 BY Magnolia Press P.O. Box 41-383 Auckland 1346 New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ © 2010 Magnolia Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or disseminated, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher, to whom all requests to reproduce copyright material should be directed in writing. This authorization does not extend to any other kind of copying, by any means, in any form, and for any purpose other than private research use. ISSN 1175-5326 (Print edition) ISSN 1175-5334 (Online edition) 2 · Zootaxa 2462 © 2010 Magnolia Press HYMAN & PONDER Table of contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................................................. -
New Narrow-Range Endemic Land Snails from the Sky Islands of Northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae)
European Journal of Taxonomy 236: 1–29 ISSN 2118-9773 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2016.236 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2016 · Herbert D.G. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Research article urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B51BF718-79F5-47F5-8740-BA181CE88257 New narrow-range endemic land snails from the sky islands of northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae) David G. HERBERT KwaZulu-Natal Museum, P. Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, South Africa and School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected] urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:0C09EE45-6198-482E-857A-EF690C2A016F Abstract. One new genus and fi ve new species of land snails are described from high altitude, insular, Afrotemperate forest habitats in northern South Africa. The distribution of these species is discussed in relation to other narrowly endemic land snails occurring in this and neighbouring regions. The new genus is Ptilototheca gen. nov.; the fi ve new species are: Gulella davisae sp. nov., G. hadroglossa sp. nov., Ptilototheca soutpansbergensis gen. et sp. nov., Sheldonia monsmaripi sp. nov. and S. wolkbergensis sp. nov. Keywords. New species, insular habitats, Afrotemperate forest, narrow-range endemism. Herbert D.G. 2016. New narrow-range endemic land snails from the sky islands of northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 236: 1–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ ejt.2016.236 Introduction A discontinuous chain of high elevation massifs spans the eastern regions of Africa extending, with many intermediary stepping stones, from the Ethiopian highlands in the north through the well-known peaks of Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro, the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and the highlands on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, fi nally ending in southern Africa’s Great Escarpment. -
Studies on the Land Molluscs of Zululand A. C. Van
STUDIES ON THE LAND MOLLUSCS OF ZULULAND with notes on the distribution of land molluscs in Southern Africa BY A. C. VAN BRUGGEN (Dept. of Systematic Zoology, c/o Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden) with 34 text-figures and four plates CONTENTS Ι. Introduction 3 2. Acknowledgements 5 3. Revision of the genus Metachatina 6 4. Land molluscs of the Mkuzi and Ndumu Game Reserves 20 4a. Topography, climate and vegetation 21 4b. Systematic list 23 4c. Notes on ecology 53 5. Other new records for Zululand 53 6. The distribution of land molluscs in Zululand 71 7. The distribution of land molluscs in Southern Africa 76 7a. The country (topography, climate, vegetation) 77 7b. Composition of the fauna 82 7c. The endemic genera and their species 88 7d. The temperate element 100 7e. The tropical element 102 7f. Distributional history 104 8. Systematic list of families, genera and subgenera 108 9. Summary 109 10. References 111 11. Index to genera and subgenera of molluscs 115 1. INTRODUCTION The fauna and flora of Zululand, situated in South Africa to the south- east of Swaziland, are of particular interest to the biogeographer. To the north the area is connected with the East African lowlands through the Mozambique plains, to the west it is bounded by the Drakensberg range, to the east by the Indian Ocean, and while no definite barrier can be found towards the south, one does generally find that certain fauna elements of East African affinities do not occur across the Tugela River or further south. The majority of these species, however, are not known to occur 4 ZOOLOGISCHE VERHANDELINGEN 103 (1969) further south than St. -
Phylogenomics of the Pulmonate Land Snails
PHYLOGENOMICS OF THE PULMONATE LAND SNAILS Luisa Cinzia Teasdale Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY January 2017 School of BioSciences The University of Melbourne 1 Phylogenomics of the Pulmonate Land Snails by Luisa C. Teasdale © 2017 Supervisors: Adnan Moussalli and Devi Stuart-Fox Cover Image: Montidelos orcardis taken by Luisa C. Teasdale 2 For Kevin, and my parents: Maria and Stephen. 3 Abstract The pulmonates are the most speciose gastropod lineage and are highly diverse in morphological form and habitat. The evolutionary relationships among the pulmonates have remained controversial despite a long history of scientific study. Recent molecular studies have placed traditionally pulmonate (air-breathing) and non-pulmonate taxa into Panpulmonata; however, the relationships within this new group are still poorly understood. Incongruence between molecular studies has generally resulted from a lack of informative loci but the advent of next generation sequencing technologies means it is now feasible to produce large genetic datasets for non-model organisms. The main aim of my thesis was to investigate the timing and pattern of evolutionary relationships within the Panpulmonata, at multiple taxonomic scales, using phylogenomic datasets. The qualification of orthology is a significant challenge when developing large, multi- locus datasets for phylogenetics from transcriptome assemblies. In Chapter 2, I identified 500 orthologous single-copy genes from 21 transcriptome assemblies across the Eupulmonata (mostly terrestrial land snails and slugs) using a thorough approach to orthology determination, involving manual alignment curation and gene tree assessment. I further qualified orthology by sequencing the genes from the genomic DNA of 22 representatives of the Australian land snail family Camaenidae using exon capture. -
Patterns of Distribution, Diversity and Endemism of Terrestrial Molluscs in South Africa
Patterns of Distribution, Diversity and Endemism of Terrestrial Molluscs in South Africa by Vanashrie Govender Submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal 2007 PREFACE The research work described in this thesis was carried out in the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban from February 2002 to December 2007, under the supervision of Professor R.H. Slotow (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and co- supervision of Dr D.G. Herbert (Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg). These studies represent original work by the author and have not otherwise been submitted in any form for any degree or diploma to any tertiary institution. Where use has been made of the work of others it is duly acknowledged in the text. ___________________ Vanashrie Govender December 2007 As the candidate’s supervisor I have approved this thesis for submission. Signed: Name: Prof. R.H. Slotow Date: 6 December 2007 As the candidate’s supervisor I have approved this thesis for submission. Signed: Name: Dr D. G. Herbert Date: 6 December 2007 DEDICATION To my dad This project began with you. I wish you were with me to celebrate its ending. You are sorely missed. To my mum You are my pillar of strength and inspiration. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express a special thank you to my supervisors, Professor R.H. Slotow and Dr D.G. Herbert, for their advice, constructive criticism and especially their understanding when I struggled through difficult times. Moreover I thank them for sharing their knowledge and guiding me throughout the project. -
New Narrow-Range Endemic Land Snails from the Sky Islands of Northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae)
© European Journal of Taxonomy; download unter http://www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu; www.zobodat.at European Journal of Taxonomy 236: 1–29 ISSN 2118-9773 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2016.236 www.europeanjournaloftaxonomy.eu 2016 · Herbert D.G. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Research article urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B51BF718-79F5-47F5-8740-BA181CE88257 New narrow-range endemic land snails from the sky islands of northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae) David G. HERBERT KwaZulu-Natal Museum, P. Bag 9070, Pietermaritzburg, 3200, South Africa and School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, P. Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected] urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:0C09EE45-6198-482E-857A-EF690C2A016F Abstract. One new genus and fi ve new species of land snails are described from high altitude, insular, Afrotemperate forest habitats in northern South Africa. The distribution of these species is discussed in relation to other narrowly endemic land snails occurring in this and neighbouring regions. The new genus is Ptilototheca gen. nov.; the fi ve new species are: Gulella davisae sp. nov., G. hadroglossa sp. nov., Ptilototheca soutpansbergensis gen. et sp. nov., Sheldonia monsmaripi sp. nov. and S. wolkbergensis sp. nov. Keywords. New species, insular habitats, Afrotemperate forest, narrow-range endemism. Herbert D.G. 2016. New narrow-range endemic land snails from the sky islands of northern South Africa (Gastropoda: Streptaxidae and Urocyclidae). European Journal of Taxonomy 236: 1–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ ejt.2016.236 Introduction A discontinuous chain of high elevation massifs spans the eastern regions of Africa extending, with many intermediary stepping stones, from the Ethiopian highlands in the north through the well-known peaks of Mt Kenya and Kilimanjaro, the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and the highlands on the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, fi nally ending in southern Africa’s Great Escarpment.