Works in South Africa

The megagenus Erica L. (Ericaceae) comprises 851 species across its global distribution, with an extraordinary focus of diversity in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) of South Afric…

Achyranthes in its traditional sense (excluding Achyropsis that phylogenetically falls into Achyranthes) has been considered to contain a restricted (three to four) number of spec…

Contrasting pollination syndromes in closely related species suggest that floral trait divergence is associated with differences in pollination system, but empirical observations …

Thesium muasyae, a new species of the family Santalaceae, is described and illustrated. This species has unique morphological and ecological characters, differentiating it from ot…

In this study, Indigofera wenholdiae, a new species of Fabaceae from the Agulhas Plain Region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, is described. A composite photographic pl…

The knowledge about terrestrial diatom assemblages in southern Africa is rather limited, despite a long history of diatom research in this area. Terrestrial habitats are places of…

Four species of Poa L. are newly reported for sub-Saharan Africa and southern Africa, Poa compressa L., P. iconia Azn., P. infirma Kunth and P. nemoralis L. This is the first repo…

We present taxonomic notes on the Festuca caprina complex from southern Africa that includes description and illustration of the new species F. drakensbergensis from the Drakensbe…

Thesium nautimontanum M.A. García, Nickrent & Mucina, a new species from the Matroosberg Mt. of Western Cape Province of South Africa, is described and illustrated. This species s…

Psoralea forbesiae C.H.Stirt., A.Bello & Muasya is a new species of Psoraleeae, Fabaceae. Psoralea forbesiae is endemic to the Swartberg Mountains and is a tall densely branched r…

A revision of the 45 species of the pantropical genus Xylopia in Tropical Africa includes descriptions of six new species and a new section of the genus. The fruits and seeds of X…

The Assimineidae are a family of amphibious microgastropods that can be mostly found in estuaries and mangroves in South Africa. These snails often occur in great numbers and are …

The genus Ceratothoa Dana, 1852 is revised for South African waters and re-diagnosed. Ceratothoa retusa (Schioedte & Meinert, 1883) is recorded from the eastern coast, and Ceratot…

Despite its wide, almost worldwide distribution, the mayfly genusCloeonLeach, 1815 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) is restricted in the Western hemisphere to North America, where a sing…

The genus Scelio is a cosmopolitan and speciose group of solitary parasitoids of the eggs of short-horned grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae). A number of these hosts are importa…

The description of a new genus Nannodromus and a new species Nannodromus reveilleti (Acari: Anystides: Saxidromidae) from South Africa, based on adult males and females.

We revise the 10 genera and 23 species of the tribe Phaeogenini (Ichneumonidae: Ichneumoninae) known to occur in the Afrotropical region. We describe the following 13 new taxa: Ki…

Recent collections in KwaZulu-Natal and Swaziland have led to the discovery of two new species of the flightless and highly threatened Scarabaeinae genus Gyronotus van Lansberge, …

Among the mostly benthic gastrotrichs, the Neogosseidae (Gastrotricha, Chaetonotida) are particularly interesting from an evolutionary point of view in virtue of their planktonic …

The cryptic ground-dwelling castianeirine genus Copa Simon, 1885 (Araneae: Corinnidae) is revised in the continental Afrotropical Region. The type species of the genus, C. flavopl…

A new species of the genus Nitocra Boeck, 1865, Nitocra taylori sp. n. is described from the St Lucia Estuary, Africa’s largest estuarine lake. It is also suggested that Nitocra s…

The Lispe longicollis species-group is revised. Lispe ethiopica sp. n. is described. The following 3 new synonyms are established: Lispe assimilis Wiedemann, 1824 (syn: cyrtoneuri…

The non-mimetic Afrotropical spider genus Cambalida Simon, 1909, placed within a subfamily of predominantly ant-mimicking spiders (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae), is revised…

Heterodontosaurids comprise an important early radiation of small-bodied herbivores that persisted for approximately 100 My from Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous time. Review of …

The phyline plant bug genus Tytthus Fieber, previously containing 19 species, is revised. Isoproba Osborn and Drake, 1915, incorrectly placed in the subfamily Bryocorinae, tribe D…

Currently, the number of valid species of Onychophora is uncertain. To facilitate taxonomic work on this understudied animal group, we present an updated checklist for the two ext…

The monotypic South African alderfly genus Leptosialis Esben-Petersen, 1920 is reviewed and Leptosialis africana Esben-Petersen, 1920 is redescribed. In the process a new species …

The family Eresidae C. L. Koch, 1850 is reviewed at the genus level. The family comprises nine genera including one new genus. They are: Adonea Simon, 1873, Dorceus C. L. Koch, 18…

Based on the study of newly accessible type material, Stripsipher drakensbergi Ricchiardi, 1998, is demoted to a junior synonym of S. jansoni Péringuey, 1908. The genus Stripsiphe…

New species of the rarely encountered megachilid genera Afroheriades Peters from South Africa, A. hyalinus sp. n., and Noteriades Cockerell from Myanmar and Thailand, N. jennifera…

Two new species of the families Polyxenidae and Synxenidae, are described from Table Mountain National Park, South Africa. Propolyxenus squamatus sp. n. (Polyxenidae) has tergites…

During a survey of the biota of the St. Lucia Estuary in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa, a number of Gastrotricha were found among samples of meiofauna. Fresh, marine…

Two new species of Neanurinae (Collembola) are described from the Western Cape, South Africa: Ectonura monochaeta sp. n. and Ectonura barrai sp. n. E. monochaeta sp. n. differs fr…

The taxonomy of the family Cossidae (Lepidoptera) of the Socotra Archipelago is revised. Five species are recognized, including two new species (Mormogystia brandstetteri and Meh…

Thanks to the high diversity of ecosystems and habitats, South Africa harbours tremendous diversity of insects. The Kruger National Park, due to its position close to the border b…

Many flies have specially evolved feeding mechanisms to imbibe liquids of specific viscosities. Observations of feeding on atypical liquids are notable because of their rarity.We …

Exechia is a diverse genus of small fungus gnats, widespread in the Holarctic Region, while the fauna is largely unknown elsewhere, such as in the Afrotropical and Oriental Region…

We conducted shotgun metagenomics sequencing of the maize rhizosphere and bulk soils in Ventersdorp, South Africa. Information on the structural composition and functional capabil…

Biodiverse habitats are increasingly subject to an intensification of anthropogenic stressors that may severely diminish species richness. Invasive species pose a dominant threat …

Developing predictive methods to forecast the impacts of existing and emerging invasive species is of critical importance to biodiversity conservation. However, invader impacts ar…

In the face of increasing invasions and limited resources, appropriate management of invasive species requires prioritisation of species for management action. This process often …

The African Non-Spiny (ANS) clade contains 14 species of mostly large canopy lianas or scandent shrubs confined to Madagascar (10) and continental Africa (4, with with one species…

South Africa’s 800 km-long southern Great Escarpment hosts numerous endemic plant species only known from their type specimens or from very few records. This is a legacy of a 100–…

Current and previously included members of the Tribe Vernonieae (Asteraceae) of southern Africa are listed in their presently recognized genera with complete synonymies and keys t…

This monograph deals with all 95 names described in the Cucurbitaceae genus Coccinia and recognizes 25 species. Taxonomic novelties are Coccinia adoensis var. aurantiaca (C.Jeffre…

The Dioscorea buchananii complex is shown to comprise three species, one of which is divided into two subspecies, based on morphological data. Two species, D. rupicola Kunth and D…

Two new species of Indigofera L. (Leguminosae) are described from the Sneeuberg Centre of Floristic Endemism on the southern Great Escarpment, Eastern and Western Cape Provinces, …

Two new species of Psoralea L. are described: Psoralea diturnerae A. Bello, C.H. Stirt. & Muasya, sp. nov. and P. vanberkelae C.H. Stirt., A. Bello & Muasya, sp. nov. Psoralea dit…

A new species of Gymnanthemum (Compositae, Vernonieae) from South Africa is described. It can be distinguished from other species in the genus by the five-flowered capitula and wi…

A new species of Psoralea is described. Psoralea karooensis C.H. Stirt., Muasya & Vlok is endemic to mountain streams in the Klein Karoo region of the Western Cape Province, South…