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A review of published evidence indicates that Bactricia nematodes Kirby, 1894 is a nomen nudum because it is an unavailable name. The specimen collected during the Lund University Swedish South African Expedition and reported by this name is a male of Bactricia bituberculata (Schaum, 1857). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jason G.H. Londt contributed almost a quarter of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum's specimens of Cicadidae, including a strong sample of females, and probably the best set to date of African records of predation on cicadas by robber flies. The collection provides evidence that robber flies catch more male cicadas; speculatively, because attacks on the heavier-bodied female fail more often. The metadata derived from these specimens also provide a small gazetteer of Londt's collecting sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cicada genus Tugelana Distant, 1912 is monotypic and endemic to south-eastern Africa. Material was not available for a recent molecular phylogeny of its tribe, so its precise phylogenetic placement is unestablished. Consequently, a 627 bp sequence of the cytochrome oxidase gene was obtained and its candidate relatives identified as several species of Platypleura Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 using the BOLD Identification System and NCBI Genbank's BLAST. Bayesian inference analyses indicated that the type species, the Maputaland Orangewing Cicada Tugelana butleri Distant, 1912, is closely related to the Dune Koko Orangewing Cicada Platypleura zuluensis Villet, 1989, which has a geographical distribution that is parapatric with T. butleri and which has aberrant genitalia for a member of Platypleura. This pair of species is placed fairly deep within the African clade of Platypleura. We therefore formally recognized Platypleura Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 as a senior synonym of Tugelana Distant, 1912, syn. nov., and assign T. butleri Distant, 1912 to Platypleura as Platypleura butleri (Distant 1912), comb. nov. The species occurs on the wooded grasslands of the Maputaland coastal plateau east of Lebombo Mountains and south of Maputo Bay. Its Extent of Occurrence is about 6360 km2, which would qualify it as Vulnerable under the IUCN's classification criteria for conservation status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public understanding of the goals of applied biology and conservation is promoted by showcasing charismatic or significant organisms using vernacular names. Conservation activities in the province of Kwa- Zulu-Natal, South Africa, are prioritising taxa that have high rates of provincial endemism, such as snails, earthworms, millipedes and cicadas. To assist wider public engagement in these activities, an assessment of endemism of the cicadas of KwaZulu-Natal is presented along with a dichotomous, 37-couplet key for the identification of males, based mainly on externally visible morphology and colouration. Standardised English vernacular names coined following a simple naming convention are proposed. Forty-two percent (16 out of 38) of the cicada species known from KwaZulu-Natal are endemic to the province. Photographs of some of the species are included to facilitate their identification. Photographs can be used for identification of various species providing that the diagnostic characters are visible in the photographs. For this purpose, photographs may have to be taken of hand-held individuals. Some of the endemic species are of particular concern for conservation because they are not known to occur in statutory protected areas or are only known from relatively small protected areas. The latter may not be able to ensure the long-term survival of the species. The rate and extent of loss of habitat outside protected areas is likely to be a grave threat to species that are not protected or that are inadequately conserved in statutory protected areas. The standardised vernacular names proposed here provide a tool for communicating provincial conservation plans and concerns with stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal and for stimulating interest in cicadas amongst land users, environmental impact assessment practitioners, biologists, naturalists and citizen scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental assessments using bioindicators gain value if the interpretability of the indicator used is high, and it is clear how survey methods affect survey comparisons. Because dung beetles are favoured as bioindicators, we studied the trophic preference of a southern African beetle community and its potential effects on surveys of beetle diversity using manual sampling of droppings and pitfall traps baited with carnivore, ruminant or nonruminant dung. Manual sampling showed no significant differences between dung types in either dung beetles abundance or species richness. Generalised linear mixed models of total and endocoprid abundances, species richness and Real Shannon index of trap samples showed higher dung beetle diversity associated with ruminant than with nonruminant dung, which in turn was significantly preferred over carnivore dung. Hide beetles (248 Troginae specimens) were attracted almost exclusively to carnivore dung. Paracoprid abundance was comparable between ruminant and nonruminant dung. IndVal analysis showed that, of a total of 47 species, six preferred ruminant dung and only one preferred nonruminant dung. These results imply that different dung beetle species may be used as ecological indicators, depending on their natural history, and that the survey method and the dung type used to survey will influence such assessment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven species of flesh fly were identified in a sample of 737 specimens captured during fortnightly trapping at three sites in Grahamstown, South Africa, over a year. Sarcophaga africa Wiedemann, 1824, S. inaequalis Austen, 1909, S. exuberans Pandellé, 1896 and S. tibialis Macquart, 1851 showed well-defined peaks between early October 2001 and late April 2002, and only S. africa was trapped at other times of year. These peaks occurred when average minimum and maximum ambient air temperatures were above 12°C and 22°C, respectively, and showed no obvious relationship to rainfall. There were indications of population cycles in all of these species. Sarcophaga hera Zumpt, 1972, S. arno Curran, 1934, S. inzi Curran, 1934, S. langi Curran, 1934, S. freyi Zumpt, 1953, S. nodosa Engel, 1925 and S. samia Curran, 1934 were too scarce to assess their patterns of occurrence rigorously. Insects attending a corpse are reputed to assist forensic entomologists in estimating the time of year when the body died. Some flesh flies provide more precise estimates than others, so several species should be used for cross-validation. Insect activity at a corpse depends on the weather, so that presence of a species indicates particular environmental conditions and not simply calendar dates (particularly if climate changes). Absence of a species is not necessarily evidence of specific conditions because species may not be present at all sites simultaneously, populations cycle even when their members are active, and low population densities may hamper detection of a species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blowfly larvae aggregate on exposed carcasses and corpses and pass through three instars before wandering from the carcass and pupating. The developmental landmarks in this process can be used by forensic entomologists to estimate the time since the insects colonised the carcass, which sets a minimum post mortem interval. Large aggregations of feeding larvae generate a microclimate with temperatures up to 15 °C above ambient conditions, which may accelerate larval development and affect forensic estimates of post-mortem intervals. This study investigated the effects of heat accumulated by maggot masses of Lucilia cuprina at aggregations of 20, 50 and 100 larvae, each at incubation temperatures of 18 °C, 24 °C and 30 °C, using body length and life stage as developmental indicators. Aggregation temperatures reached up to 18.7 °C above ambient temperature, with significant effects of both size and temperature of the aggregation on the development time of its larvae. Survivorship was highest for all life stages at 24 °C, which is near the developmental optimum of L. cuprina . The results of this study provide a broadly applicable method of quantifying heat accumulation by aggregations of a wide range of species of forensic importance, and the results obtained from such studies will demonstrate that ambient temperature cannot be considered the only source of heat that blowfly larvae experience when they develop on a carcass. Neglect of temperatures within larval aggregations will result in an overestimation of post-mortem intervals and thus have far-reaching medicolegal consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant genera and subgenera of the Trogidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are reviewed. Contemporary classifications of this family have been based exclusively on morphological characters. The first molecular phylogeny for the family recently provided strong support for the relationships between morphologically defined genera and subgenera. On the basis of morphological, molecular and biogeographical evidence, certain taxonomic changes to the genus-level classification of the family are now proposed. The family is confirmed as consisting of two subfamilies, Omorginae Nikolajev and Troginae MacLeay, the former with two genera, Omorgus Erichson and Polynoncus Burmeister, and the latter with two genera, Trox Fabricius and Phoberus MacLeay stat. rev. Phoberus is restored to generic rank to include all Afrotropical (including Madagascan endemic) species; Afromorgus is confirmed at subgeneric rank within the genus Omorgus; and the monotypic Madagascan genus Madagatrox syn. n. is synonymised with Phoberus. The current synonymies of Pseudotrox Robinson (with Trox), Chesas Burmeister, Lagopelus Burmeister and Megalotrox Preudhomme de Borre (all with Omorgus) are all accepted to avoid creating speculative synonyms before definitive phylogenetic evidence is available. New combinations resulting from restoring Phoberus to a monophyletic genus are listed in Appendix A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The butterfly genus Pseudonympha and several related genera are endemic to southern Africa. Although many of the species are montane, some inhabit the arid interior of South Africa, offering an opportunity to study the palaeobiogeography of this biome. Morphological data (for all species of Pseudonympha and allied African and Asian genera) and molecular data (WG and COI genes for nine of the 15 species of Pseudonympha and all of the southern African endemic genera of Ypthimina) were compiled. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Pseudonympha apparently originated in the Cape Fold Mountains about 15 Mya ago and spread steadily eastwards and northwards along the Great Escarpment during the aridification of the region, perhaps assisted by orogeny in the east and oceanic cooling in the west. Aridification cycles seem to have intermittently isolated some early lineages in elevated habitats in the interior, so that those lineages show lower speciation rates (or perhaps higher extinction rates) than those in the east. Four species delineation techniques indicated that some species are taxonomically oversplit. Based on genetic polyphyly and morphological similarity, we propose that the status of P. swanepoeli be reduced to that of a subspecies of P. varii, such that all the north-eastern populations from Harrismith to Tzaneen fall under P. varii swanepoeli van Son stat. n., and all the southern populations fall under P. varii varii van Son stat. n. Ultimately, the diversification of both of these lineages seems tied to their host plants' response to aridification brought on by continental drift and orogeny. Sympatric organisms (eg cicadas) with biologies focused around different resources (eg savanna trees) show other patterns of diversification. The phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe Ypthimina also supports the monophyly of Paternympha, paraphyly of Ypthima, recognition of Thymipa Moore stat. rev. as a phylogenetic independent genus, and new relationships for Strabena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are important but inconsistent differences in breeding site preference between the blow flies Lucilia sericata (Meigen, 1826) and L. cuprina (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) that have significance for medical and veterinary science. These inconsistencies might arise from hybridisation. The species are difficult to distinguish using external morphology, although the male genitalia are distinctive and there are reliable molecular markers. Molecular evidence of modern hybridisation, derived from a newly developed nuclear marker, the period (per) gene, is presented here. This has implications for identifications of these species based on mtDNA, and may lead to an explanation of the medical and veterinary anomalies noted in these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first empirically supported phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships for the southern African endemic butterfly tribe Dirini is presented. Data derived from the morphology and ecology of the adults and immature stages (33 characters), and portions of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I ( COI) and the nuclear genes elongation factor 1α ( EF1α) and wingless ( WG) (totalling 1734 bp) were used to infer the relationships of the in-group genera. An expanded molecular dataset using four genera from the Nymphalini and Satyrini to root the tree, and three genera from the Melanitini to test the monophyly of the tribe, was analysed using parsimony and Bayesian methods. Estimates of divergence times were calculated using two fossil calibrations under a relaxed molecular clock model. The monophyly of the tribe and each in-group genus were strongly supported. Key findings are the sister-taxon relationship of Aeropetes and Tarsocera, the apparent simultaneous or nearly simultaneous radiation of four lineages, the polyphyly of the species within Torynesis, and the apparent trans-Atlantic dispersal of the ancestors of Manataria about 40 Ma. Estimates of divergence times indicate that the tribe has undergone two major radiations since its origin: the first when they left forest habitats in the mid-late Oligocene, shortly after the radiation of the grasses (Poaceae), and the second in the early-middle Pliocene, coinciding with the aridification of southern Africa and the spread of conditions that favoured C grasses over the C grasses that dirine larvae prefer to eat. The high species diversity within the tribe appears to be partly a taxonomic artefact that may have resulted from the misinterpretation of climate-related phenotypic variation within extant species. Relocation and breeding experiments should test this hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanatophilus micans is capable of finding corpses at least as quickly as most fly species and, as the most widespread species of the Silphidae in Africa, offers a useful model for estimating post-mortem interval. Larvae were reared at ten constant temperatures from 15°C to 35°C and their length measured at 4, 8, or 12-h intervals depending on their instar. Length generally increased with increased rearing temperature, but decreased at extremely high temperatures. Note was made of the age at which individuals progressed past developmental milestones. Development took longer at lower temperatures. These results are presented as a combined isomegalen and isomorphen diagram. Developmental constants were generated for each milestone using major axis regression. Developmental threshold values did not differ significantly between milestones. Development took longer than in blow flies, but was faster than in Dermestidae. The three models presented here, therefore, cover an important time frame in estimating minimum PMI once fly larvae have matured to the point of leaving a corpse, and, therefore, provide a tool that was not previously available to forensic entomologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The platypleurine cicadas have a wide distribution across Africa and southern Asia. We investigate endothermy as a thermoregulatory strategy in 11 South African species from five genera, with comparisons to the lone ectothermic platypleurine we found, in an attempt to ascertain any influence that habitat and/or body size have on the expression of endothermy in the platypleurine cicadas. Field measurements of body temperature (Tb) show that these animals regulate Tb through endogenous heat production. Heat production in the laboratory elevated La to the same range as in animals active in the field. Maximum Tb measured during calling activity when there was no access to solar radiation ranged from 13.2° to 22.3°C above ambient temperature in the five species measured. The mean Tb during activity without access to solar radiation did not differ from the mean Tb during diurnal activity. All platypleurines exhibit a unique behavior for cicadas while warming endogenously, a temperature-dependent telescoping pulsation of the abdomen that probably functions in ventilation. Platypleurines generally call from trunks and branches within the canopy and appear to rely on endothermy even when the sun is available to elevate Tb, in contrast to the facultative endothermy exhibited by New World endothermic species. The two exceptions to this generalization we found within the platypleurines are Platypleura wahlbergi and Albanycada albigera, which were the smallest species studied. The small size of P wahlbergi appears to have altered their thermoregulatory strategy to one of facultative endothermy, whereby they use the sun when it is available to facilitate increases in Tb. Albanycada albigera is the only ectothermic platypleurine we found. The habitat and host plant association of A. albigera appear to have influenced the choice of ectothermy as a thermoregulatory strategy, as the species possesses the metabolic machinery to elevate to the Tb range observed in the endothermic species. Therefore, size and habitat appear to influence the expression of thermoregulatory strategies in African platypleurine cicadas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new predictive modelling technique called the fuzzy envelope model (FEM) is introduced. The technique can be used to predict potential distributions of organisms using presence-only locality records and a set of environmental predictor variables. FEM uses fuzzy logic to classify a set of predictor variable maps based on the values associated with presence records and combines the results to produce a potential distribution map for a target species. This technique represents several refinements of the envelope approach used in the BIOCLIM modelling package. These refinements are related to the way in which FEMs deal with uncertainty, the way in which this uncertainty is represented in the resultant potential distribution maps, and the way that these maps can be interpreted and applied. To illustrate its potential use in biogeographical studies, FEM was applied to predicting the potential distribution of three invasive alien plant species (Lantana camaraL.,Ricinus communisL. andSolanum mauritianumScop.), and three native cicada species (Capicada decoraGermar, Platypleura deustaThun. andP. capensisL.) in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. These models were quantitatively compared with models produced by means of the algorithm used in the BIOCLIM modelling package, which is referred to as a crisp envelope model (the CEM design). The average performance of models of the FEM design was consistently higher than those of the CEM design. There were significant differences in model performance among species but there was no significant interaction between model design and species. The average maximum kappa value ranged from 0.70 to 0.90 for FEM design and from 0.57 to 0.89 for the CEM design, which can be described as‘good’ to‘excellent’ using published ranges of agreement for the kappa statistic. This technique can be used to predict species’ potential distributions that could be used for identifying regions at risk from invasion by alien species. These predictions could also be used in conservation planning in the case of native species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomy and diversity of Fainia Zumpt, 1958, an exclusive Afrotropical genus, had not been reviewed recently. The genus included six nominal species, but the status of several of them was debated. Identification of most Fainia species depends on characters of the male terminalia; females are poorly known and, in several cases, are not adequately diagnosed. We conducted a taxonomic revision of the genus and generated identification tools. Based on the study of type material and specimens available in entomological collections in Africa and Europe, we recognise here three of the six species as valid (F. albitarsis (Macquart, 1846), F. elongata (Bezzi, 1908) and F. inexpectata Zumpt, 1973). We also provide an identification key to both sexes, redescriptions of the species, updated distribution records and high resolution photographs of males' and females' habitus and male terminalia. The description of Fainia kagerana Lehrer, 2007a nom. nud. is an invalid nomenclatural act in terms of ICZN Article 13.1.1. Based on examinations of their holotypes, F. sambura Lehrer, 2008 syn. nov. is proposed as a junior synonym of F. albitarsis; F. kirinyaga Lehrer, 2007b syn. nov. is proposed as a junior synonym of F. inexpectata; and Fainia giriama Lehrer, 2007b is moved from the genus Fainia to the genus Rhinia Robineau-Desvoidy, as Rhinia giriama (Lehrer, 2007b) comb. nov.. We propose two apomorphies that support the status of the subfamily Rhiniinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Necrophagous blowflies can provide an excellent source of evidence for forensic entomologists and are also relevant to problems in public health, medicine, and animal health. However, access to useful information about these blowflies is constrained by the need to correctly identify the flies, and the poor availability of reliable, accessible identification tools is a serious obstacle to the development of forensic entomology in the majority of African countries. In response to this need, a high-quality key to the adults of all species of forensically relevant blowflies of Africa has been prepared, drawing on high-quality entomological materials and modern focus-stacking photomicroscopy. This new key can be easily applied by investigators inexperienced in the taxonomy of blowflies and is made available through a highly accessible online platform. Problematic diagnostic characters used in previous keys are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thanatophilus micans and T. mutilatus have significance for forensic entomology. Their larvae are therefore described and a key is provided for identifying the larvae of Afrotropical Silphidae based on morphological characters. It is shown that seven common species of Thanatophilus can be distinguished by a 360 bp mtDNA sequence from the cytochrome oxidase I gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The river sardine, Mesobola brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908), is the type species of Mesobola Howes, 1984. Standard phylogenetic analyses of partial sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I gene of individuals from populations across southern Africa that are currently identified as M. brevianalis showed that these populations represent four genetically distinct allopatric lineages. Furthermore, Engraulicypris sardella (Günther, 1868), the type species of Engraulicypris Günther, 1894, was convincingly nested amongst these clades. These findings support synonymisation of Engraulicypris and Mesobola syn. n.; restoration of Engraulicypris gariepinus (Barnard, 1943), stat. rev. for the lower Orange River population; description of two new species, Engraulicypris ngalala sp. n. and Engraulicypris howesi sp. n. from the Rovuma and Kunene river systems, respectively; affirmation of the synonymy of Engraulicypris brevianalis (Boulenger, 1908), comb. n. sensu stricto and Engraulicypris whitei van der Horst, 1934; and restoration of Engraulicypris bredoi Poll, 1945, stat. rev. and Engraulicypris spinifer Bailey & Matthes, 1971, stat. rev. from Mesobola. Discriminant function analysis of a truss network of five traditional morphometric measurements and 21 morphometric measurements that characterised the shape of the fishes was used to seek morphological markers for the genetically distinct populations. Only E. gariepinus was morphometrically distinctive, but live colouration differed between the lineages. Detailed taxonomic descriptions and an identification key for the species are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The callings songs of five species from three genera of South African pygmy bladder cicadas are analyzed. The call of each species has a distinct temporal pattern and frequency spectrum. The songs are of significantly lower frequency than would be predicted based on body mass or body length. Comparison of bladder cicada calls from Australia and South Africa show similar lower than predicted frequencies in species of independent evolutionary origin. The inflated abdomen found in these cicadas appears to be a convergent adaptation to permit more efficient song production at lower carrier frequencies that increase the distance the songs will travel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of the spermatozoon and spermatodesm of the spittlebug Locris transversa (Thunberg 1822) was investigated by light and transmission electron microscopy. Males produced only one size class of sperm, which was 93–106 μm long. During spermatogenesis groups of spermatozoa are arranged around, and attached by their acrosomes to, a small central extracellular matrix to form a ball-shaped spermatodesm. Spermatodesmata were found in the testis, vas deferens and seminal vesicle of males and spermatheca of females. The sperm are filiform, each consisting of a ~15-μm-long head containing an anteriorly positioned conical ~2-μm-long acrosome and ~13-μm-long nucleus, and a midpiece and tail with a 9+9+2 axoneme. The acrosome, which has two posterior extensions that lie along one side of the anterior region of the nucleus, contains longitudinally orientated microfilaments. The nucleus has two unequal anterior extensions, whereas posteriorly it is flattened laterally to accommodate a putative centriolar adjunct and anterior ends of the two mitochondrial derivatives. The basal body lies posterior to the nucleus. The mitochondrial derivatives are elongated and extend for almost the entire length of the tail. The tail has glycogen within its centre, and towards its terminal end large deposits of glycogen surround the mitochondrial derivatives and axoneme. Compared to other members of the Cicadomorpha, the spermatozoa and spermatodesms of cercopids so far studied have some structural features in common with cicadellids and others in common with cicadas; therefore, if sperm features are to be useful in phylogenetic studies of cicadomorphs, attention must be given to examining key taxa to establish which character states are plesiomorphic or apomorphic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name Phoberus capensis (Scholtz) is applied to a small lightless, keratinophagous beetle endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Its gross distribution stretches from roughly 1000 km from the Cederberg (32°24'22" S, 19°04'50" E) to Grahamstown (33°20'07" S, 26°32'50" E). The populations are spatially discrete, restricted to relict forests of the southern Cape and disjunct high montane refugia of the Cape Fold Mountains. We test the hypothesis that there is more than one distinct species nested within the name P. capensis. Phylogenetic relationships among populations were inferred using molecular sequence data. The results support three distinct evolutionary lineages, which were also supported by morphological characters. Divergence time estimates suggest Pliocene-Pleistocene diversiication. Based on these results, it is suggested that the P. capensis lineage experienced climatically-driven allopatric speciation with sheltered Afrotemperate forests and high mountain peaks serving as important refugia in response to climatic ameliorations. The P . capensis complex thus represents a speciation process in which light-restricted populations evolved in close allopatry, possibly as recently as the Pleistocene. Two diver- gent and geographically distinct lineages are described as novel species: The new species, P. disjunctus sp. n. and P. herminae sp. n., are illustrated by photographs of habitus and male aedeagi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The name Phoberus capensis (Scholtz) is applied to a small flightless, keratinophagous beetle endemic to the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. Its gross distribution stretches from roughly 1000 km from the Cederberg (32°24'22" S, 19°04'50" E) to Grahamstown (33°20'07" S, 26°32'50" E). The populations are spatially discrete, restricted to relict forests of the southern Cape and disjunct high montane refugia of the Cape Fold Mountains. We test the hypothesis that there is more than one distinct species nested within the name P. capensis. Phylogenetic relationships among populations were inferred using molecular sequence data. The results support three distinct evolutionary lineages, which were also supported by morphological characters. Divergence time estimates suggest Pliocene-Pleistocene diversification. Based on these results, it is suggested that the P. capensis lineage experienced climatically-driven allopatric speciation with sheltered Afrotemperate forests and high mountain peaks serving as important refugia in response to climatic ameliorations. The P. capensis complex thus represents a speciation process in which flight-restricted populations evolved in close allopatry, possibly as recently as the Pleistocene. Two divergent and geographically distinct lineages are described as novel species: The new species, P. disjunctus sp. n. and P. herminae sp. n., are illustrated by photographs of habitus and male aedeagi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subfamily Luciliinae is diverse and geographically widespread. Its four currently recognised genera (Dyscritomyia Grimshaw, 1901, Hemipyrellia Townsend, 1918, Hypopygiopsis Townsend 1916 and Lucilia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830) contain species that range from saprophages to obligate parasites, but their pattern of phylogenetic diversification is unclear. The 28S rRNA, COI and Period genes of 14 species of Lucilia and Hemipyrellia were partially sequenced and analysed together with sequences of 11 further species from public databases. The molecular data confirmed molecular paraphyly in three species-pairs in Lucilia that hamper barcode identifications of those six species. Lucilia sericata and L. cuprina were confirmed as mutual sister species. The placements of Dyscritomyia and Hypopygiopsis were ambiguous, since both made Lucilia paraphyletic in some analyses. Recognising Hemipyrellia as a genus consistently left Lucilia s.l. paraphyletic, and the occasionally-recognised (sub)genus Phaenicia was consistently paraphyletic, so these taxa should be synonymised with Lucilia to maintain monophyly. Analysis of a matrix of 14 morphological characters scored for adults of all genera and for most of the species included in the molecular analysis confirmed several of these findings. The different degrees of parasitism were phylogenetically clustered within this genus but did not form a graded series of evolutionary stages, and there was no particular relationship between feeding habits and biogeography. Because of the ubiquity of hybridization, introgression and incomplete lineage sorting in blow flies, we recommend that using a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear markers should be a procedural standard for medico-criminal forensic identifications of insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe a new genus and four new species of the extinct 'Grylloblattida': Liomopteridae Sellards, 1909: Liomopterum connexus Cawood & Nel, n. sp., Liomopterum daenerys Cawood & Nel, n. sp., Colubrosopterum karooensis Cawood & Nel, n. gen., n. sp., and Paraliomopterum sp. The fossil wings were collected from a new Middle Permian locality near Sutherland, Northern Cape, South Africa, with the horizon close to the Ecca-Beaufort Group contact in the southern Karoo Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trogidae constitute a monophyletic and biologically unique family within Scarabaeoidea, being the only keratinophagous group in the superfamily. Traditionally, the family has been divided into three distinctive genera, Polynoncus Burmeister, Omorgus Erichson and Trox Fabricius. Although the taxonomy of the group is relatively well studied, changes to the existing classification have recently been proposed and the family as currently constituted has not been subjected to phylogenetic analyses. Here we present a molecular phylogeny for this cosmopolitan family based on three partially sequenced gene regions: 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA (domain 2). Included in the analyses are representatives belonging to four of the five extant genera (and three of the four subgenera) from all major zoogeographic regions, representing about 20% of the known trogid species diversity in the family. Phylogenetic analyses performed included parsimony and Bayesian inference. We deduce their historical biogeography by using trogid fossils as calibration points for divergence estimates. Our analyses resolved relationships between and within genera and subgenera that are largely congruent with existing phylogeny hypotheses based on morphological data. We recovered four well-supported radiations: Polynoncus, Omorgus, Holarctic Trox and African Phoberus MacLeay. On the basis of this study, it is proposed that taxonomic changes to the generic classification of the family be made. The subgenera Trox and Phoberus should be elevated to genera to include the Holarctic and all the Afrotropical species, respectively, and Afromorgus returned to subgeneric rank. Estimates of divergence time are consistent with a Pangaean origin of the family in the Early Jurassic. The subsequent diversification of the major lineages is largely attributed to the break-up of Pangaea and Gondwana in the Middle Jurassic and early Late Cretaceous, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exuviae of the cicada Pycna semiclara were found next to freshly eclosed adults. The exuvium of Pycna se miclara is described and illustrated for the first time and a key is presented to distinguish the exuvium of this species from those of Platypleura stridula and Platypleura capensis, the only other species of cicadas from southern Africa for which exuviae have been described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Records of African beetles feeding on carrion are scattered and incomplete, but important to forensic entomology. Thirty-three specimens of Frankenbergerius forcipatus (Harold, 1881) were found on carrion near Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa, providing new insight into the distribution (hills and mountains), habitat (fynbos and forest), biology (generalist on decaying material) and forensic significance (wet-decay, late opportunist) of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The snake superfamily Elapoidea presents one of the most intransigent problems in systematics of the Caenophidia. Its monophyly is undisputed and several cohesive constituent lineages have been identified (including the diverse and clinically important family Elapidae), but its basal phylogenetic structure is obscure. We investigate phylogenetic relationships and spatial and temporal history of the Elapoidea using 94 caenophidian species and approximately 2300–4300 bases of DNA sequence from one nuclear and four mitochondrial genes. Phylogenetic reconstruction was conducted in a parametric framework using complex models of sequence evolution. We employed Bayesian relaxed clocks and Penalized Likelihood with rate smoothing to date the phylogeny, in conjunction with seven fossil calibration constraints. Elapoid biogeography was investigated using maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony methods. Resolution was poor for early relationships in the Elapoidea and in Elapidae and our results imply rapid basal diversification in both clades, in the late Eocene of Africa (Elapoidea) and the mid-Oligocene of the Oriental region (Elapidae). We identify the major elapoid and elapid lineages, present a phylogenetic classification system for the superfamily (excluding Elapidae), and combine our phylogenetic, temporal and biogeographic results to provide an account of elapoid evolution in light of current palaeontological data and palaeogeographic models. © The Willi Hennig Society 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruits of wild olives, Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata (Wall. ex G. Don) Cif., were collected in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, during 2003-2005 to quantify levels of fruit-infesting pests and their parasitoids. Two species of Tephritidae, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) and B. biguttula (Bezzi), were the most abundant insects recovered and were reared from most samples. Fruit infestation rates by the Bactrocera spp. were generally below 8% and over half of the infestations were under 1%. When parasitism occurred in samples with flies, levels ranged from 7 to 83%. Several species of opiine braconid wasps, Psyttalia concolor (Szepligeti), Psyttalia lounsburyi (Silvestri), and Utetes africanus (Szepligeti) and one braconine wasp, Bracon celer Szepligeti, were reared from fruits containing B. oleae and/or B. biguttula. Chalcidoid parasitoids and seed wasps included seven species of Eurytomidae (Eurytoma oleae, Eurytoma sp., and Sycophila sp.), Ormyridae (Ormyrus sp.), Torymidae (Megastigmus sp.), and Eupelmidae (Eupelmus afer and E. spermophilus). One species of moth, Palpita unionalis (Hubner) (Crambidae), was recovered in very low numbers and without parasitoids. The survey results indicate that fruit flies might not become economic pests of the nascent commercial olive industry in the Eastern Cape, and the small numbers present may be controlled to a considerable level by natural enemies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study constitutes the first evolutionary investigation of the snake family Psammophiidae—the most widespread, most clearly defined, yet perhaps the taxonomically most problematic of Africa’s family-level snake lineages. Little is known of psammophiid evolutionary relationships, and the type genus Psammophis is one of the largest and taxonomically most complex of the African snake genera. Our aims were to reconstruct psammophiid phylogenetic relationships and to improve characterisation of species boundaries in problematic Psammophis species complexes. We used approximately 2500 bases of DNA sequence from the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, and 114 terminals covering all psammophiid genera and incorporating approximately 75% of recognised species and subspecies. Phylogenetic reconstructions were conducted primarily in a Bayesian framework and we used the Wiens/Penkrot protocol to aid species delimitation. Rhamphiophis is diphyletic, with Rhamphiophis acutus emerging sister to Psammophylax. Consequently we transfer the three subspecies of Rhamphiophis acutus to the genus Psammophylax. The monotypic genus Dipsina is sister to Psammophis. The two species of Dromophis occupy divergent positions deeply nested within Psammophis, and we therefore relegate Dromophis to the synonymy of Psammophis. Our results allow division of the taxonomically problematic Psammophis ‘sibilans’ species complex into two monophyletic entities, provisionally named the ‘phillipsii’ and ‘subtaeniatus’ complexes. Within these two clades we found support for the status of many existing species, but not for a distinction between P.p. phillipsii and P. mossambicus. Additionally, P. cf. phillipsii occidentalis deserves species status as the sister taxon of P. brevirostris. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spermiogenesis in three species of cicadas representing one cicadettine ( Monomatapa matoposa Boulard) and two cicadines ( Diceroprocta biconica [Walker] and Kongota punctigera [Walker]) was investigated by light and electron microscopy. Although spermiogenesis was occurring in the testis of adult males of all species, earlier spermiogenic stages were observed in D. biconica only. While spermiogenesis was similar to that described for other insects, some differences were noted. For example granular material did not assemble around the centriole to form a centriolar adjunct but did accumulate in the cytoplasm of early spermatids adjacent to a region of the nuclear membrane where nuclear pores were aggregated. In late spermatids this material accumulated anterior to the mitochondrial derivatives in a developing postero-lateral nuclear groove. While this material has been named the ‘centriolar adjunct’ by previous authors, its formation away from the centriole raises questions about its true identity. Second, during acrosome maturation an ante-acrosomal region of cytoplasm develops. Although present in later spermatids, this region is lost in spermatozoa. Interspecific variations in chromatin condensation patterns and the number of microtubule layers encircling the spermatid nucleus during spermiogenesis were noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic relationships among advanced snakes ( Acrochordus + Colubroidea = Caenophidia) and the position of the genus Acrochordus relative to colubroid taxa are contentious. These concerns were investigated by phylogenetic analysis of fragments from four mitochondrial genes representing 62 caenophidian genera and 5 noncaenophidian taxa. Four methods of phylogeny reconstruction were applied: matrix representation with parsimony (MRP) supertree consensus, maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis. Because of incomplete sampling, extensive missing data were inherent in this study. Analyses of individual genes retrieved roughly the same clades, but branching order varied greatly between gene trees, and nodal support was poor. Trees generated from combined data sets using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis had medium to low nodal support but were largely congruent with each other and with MRP supertrees. Conclusions about caenophidian relationships were based on these combined analyses. The Xenoderminae, Viperidae, Pareatinae, Psammophiinae, Pseudoxyrophiinae, Homalopsinae, Natricinae, Xenodontinae, and Colubrinae (redefined) emerged as monophyletic, whereas Lamprophiinae, Atractaspididae, and Elapidae were not in one or more topologies. A clade comprising Acrochordus and Xenoderminae branched closest to the root, and when Acrochordus was assessed in relation to a colubroid subsample and all five noncaenophidians, it remained associated with the Colubroidea. Thus, Acrochordus + Xenoderminae appears to be the sister group to the Colubroidea, and Xenoderminae should be excluded from Colubroidea. Within Colubroidea, Viperidae was the most basal clade. Other relationships appearing in all final topologies were (1) a clade comprising Psammophiinae, Lamprophiinae, Atractaspididae, Pseudoxyrophiinae, and Elapidae, within which the latter four taxa formed a subclade, and (2) a clade comprising Colubrinae, Natricinae, and... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models used to predict species’ potential distributions have been described as either correlative or mechanistic. We attempted to determine whether correlative models could perform as well as mechanistic models for predicting species potential distributions, using a case study. We compared potential distribution predictions made for a coastal dune plant (Scaevola plumieri) along the coast of South Africa, using a mechanistic model based on summer water balance (SWB), and two correlative models (a profile and a group discrimination technique). The profile technique was based on principal components analysis (PCA) and the group-discrimination technique was based on multiple logistic regression (LR). Kappa (κ) statistics were used to objectively assess model performance and model agreement. Model performance was calculated by measuring the levels of agreement (using κ) between a set of testing localities (distribution records not used for model building) and each of the model predictions. Using published interpretive guidelines for the kappa statistic, model performance was “excellent” for the SWB model (κ=0.852), perfect for the LR model (κ=1.000), and “very good” for the PCA model (κ=0.721). Model agreement was calculated by measuring the level of agreement between the mechanistic model and the two correlative models. There was “good” model agreement between the SWB and PCA models (κ=0.679) and “very good” agreement between the SWB and LR models (κ=0.786). The results suggest that correlative models can perform as well as or better than simple mechanistic models. The predictions generated from these three modelling designs are likely to generate different insights into the potential distribution and biology of the target organism and may be appropriate in different situations. The choice of model is likely to be influenced by the aims of the study, the biology of the target organism, the level of knowledge the target organism’s biology, and data quality. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study investigates genetic diversity in three species of Ephemeroptera, one eurytopic and therefore widespread (Afroptilum sudafricanum) and two stenotopic and thus endemic (Demoreptus natalensis and Demoreptus capensis) species, all of which co-occur in the southern Great Escarpment, South Africa. Mitochondrial DNA was analysed to compare the genetic diversity between the habitat generalist and the two habitat specialists. Afroptilum sudafricanum showed no indication of population genetic structure due to geographic location, while both Demoreptus species revealed clear genetic differentiation between geographic localities and catchments, evident from phylogenetic analyses and high FST values from AMOVA. In addition, the phylogenetic analyses indicate some deeper haplotype divergences within A. sudafricanum and Demoreptus that merit taxonomic attention. These results give important insight into evolutionary processes occurring through habitat specialisation and population isolation. Further research and sampling across a wider geographic setting that includes both major mountain blocks of the Escarpment and lowland non-Escarpment sites will allow for refined understanding of biodiversity and associated habitat preferences, and illuminate comparative inferences into gene flow and cryptic speciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies of decomposition in forensic entomology and taphonomy have used non-human cadavers. Following the recommendation of using domestic pig cadavers as analogues for humans in forensic entomology in the 1980s, pigs became the most frequently used model cadavers in forensic sciences. They have shaped our understanding of how large vertebrate cadavers decompose in, for example, various environments, seasons and after various ante- or postmortem cadaver modifications. They have also been used to demonstrate the feasibility of several new or well-established forensic techniques. The advent of outdoor human taphonomy facilities enabled experimental comparisons of decomposition between pig and human cadavers. Recent comparisons challenged the pig-as-analogue claim in entomology and taphonomy research. In this review, we discuss in a broad methodological context the advantages and disadvantages of pig and human cadavers for forensic research and rebut the critique of pigs as analogues for humans. We conclude that experiments using human cadaver analogues (i.e. pig carcasses) are easier to replicate and more practical for controlling confounding factors than studies based solely on humans and, therefore, are likely to remain our primary epistemic source of forensic knowledge for the immediate future. We supplement these considerations with new guidelines for model cadaver choice in forensic science research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Platypleurini is a large group of charismatic cicadas distributed from Cape Agulhas in South Africa, through tropical Africa, Madagascar, India and eastern Asia to Japan, with generic diversity concentrated in equatorial and southern Africa. This distribution suggests the possibility of a Gondwanan origin and dispersal to eastern Asia from Africa or India. We used a four‐gene (three mitochondrial) molecular dataset, fossil calibrations and molecular clock information to explore the phylogenetic relationships of the platypleurine cicadas and the timing and geography of their diversification. The earliest splits in the tribe were found to separate forest genera in Madagascar and equatorial Africa from the main radiation, and all of the Asian/Indian species sampled formed a younger clade nested well within the African taxa. The tribe appears to have diversified during the Cenozoic, beginning c. 50–32 Ma, with most extant African lineages originating in the Miocene or later, well after the breakup of the Gondwanan landmass. Biogeographical analysis suggests an African origin for the tribe and a single dispersal event founding the Asian platypleurines, although additional taxon sampling and genetic data will be needed to confirm this pattern because key nodes in the tree are still weakly supported. Two Platypleurini genera from Madagascar (Pycna Amyot & Audinet‐Serville, Yanga Distant) are found to have originated by late Miocene dispersal of a single lineage from Africa. The genus Platypleura is recovered as polyphyletic, with Platypleura signifera Walker from South Africa and many Asian/Indian species apparently requiring assignment to different genera, and a new Platypleura concept is proposed with the synonymization of Azanicada Villet syn.n. The genera Orapa Distant and Hamza Distant, currently listed within separate tribes but suspected of platypleurine affinity, are nested deeply within the Platypleurini radiation. The tribe Orapini syn.n. is here synonymized while the tribe Hamzini is pending a decision of the ICZN to preserve nomenclatorial stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's Cape Fold Ecoregion supports a unique freshwater fish assemblage with many endemics. To mitigate impacts of alien invasive fishes on this unique assemblage, nature conservation authority CapeNature used rotenone to remove smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) from the Rondegat River. We investigated whether the rotenone treatments had an adverse impact on the aquatic macroinvertebrate community over the long-term, the first study of its kind in Africa. We monitored macroinvertebrates within treated and untreated (control) sites on multiple sampling events for 2 years before and 2 years after two rotenone treatments. We analysed the difference in invertebrate abundance between treatment and control sites before and after treatment, using generalised linear mixed models with sampling event as a random factor to partition out natural fluctuations in abundances over time. Populations fluctuated widely in control and treatment sites over the study period, and we found no effect that could be clearly attributed to rotenone. We conclude that macroinvertebrates recovered rapidly after treatment, probably through drift from untreated areas upstream, with no long-term adverse effects. We recommend that the presence of uninvaded upstream refuges that may provide demographic rescue be used as a key discriminating factor for future conservation purposed rotenone deployments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary lentic wetlands are becoming increasingly recognised for their collective role in contributing to biodiversity at the landscape scale. In southern Africa, a region with a high density of such wetlands, information characterising the fauna of these systems is disparate and often obscurely published. Here we provide a collation and synthesis of published research on the aquatic invertebrate fauna inhabiting temporary lentic wetlands of the region. We expose the poor taxonomic knowledge of most groups, which makes it difficult to comment on patterns of richness and endemism. Only a few groups (e.g. large branchiopods, ostracods, copepods and cladocerans) appear to reach higher richness and/or endemicity in temporary wetlands compared to their permanent wetland counterparts. IUCN Red List information is lacking for most taxa, thus making it difficult to comment on the conservation status of much of the invertebrate fauna. However, except for a few specialist groups, many of the taxa inhabiting these environments appear to be habitat generalists that opportunistically exploit these waterbodies and this is hypothesised as one of the reasons why endemism appears to be low for most taxa. Given that taxonomy underpins ecology, the urgent need for more foundational taxonomic work on these systems becomes glaringly apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much attention has been paid to the effects of climate change on species' range reductions and extinctions. There is however surprisingly little information on how climate change driven threat may impact the tree of life and result in loss of phylogenetic diversity ( PD). Some plant families and mammalian orders reveal nonrandom extinction patterns, but many other plant families do not. Do these discrepancies reflect different speciation histories and does climate induced extinction result in the same discrepancies among different groups? Answers to these questions require representative taxon sampling. Here, we combine phylogenetic analyses, species distribution modeling, and climate change projections on two of the largest plant families in the Cape Floristic Region (Proteaceae and Restionaceae), as well as the second most diverse mammalian order in Southern Africa (Chiroptera), and an herbivorous insect genus ( Platypleura) in the family Cicadidae to answer this question. We model current and future species distributions to assess species threat levels over the next 70 years, and then compare projected with random PD survival. Results for these animal and plant clades reveal congruence. PD losses are not significantly higher under predicted extinction than under random extinction simulations. So far the evidence suggests that focusing resources on climate threatened species alone may not result in disproportionate benefits for the preservation of evolutionary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being taxonomically and phylogenetically informative, the morphology of the immature stages of cicadas has received comparatively superficial attention. One reason for this is the difficulty of positively identifying immature stages, particularly as these stages are fossorial. We present a method for identifying cicada exuviae using DNA sequence data and describe a set of characters and character states for the final instar nymph ofQuintilia carinata(Thunberg). The identification of immature stages using molecular methods will increase our knowledge of African cicadas, allowing for the initiation of future phylogenetic and ecological comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 of alderfly Leptosialis necopinata sp. n. from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa is recognised and described. Within Sialidae the new species most closely resembles L. africana. A key to the two species of Leptosialis using both adult and larval characters is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Baetis harrisoni Barnard is a mayfly frequently encountered in river studies across Africa, but the external morphological features used for identifying nymphs have been observed to vary subtly between different geographic locations. It has been associated with a wide range of ecological conditions, including pH extremes of pH 2.9-10.0 in polluted waters. We present a molecular study of the genetic variation within B. harrisoni across 21 rivers in its distribution range in southern Africa. Results: Four gene regions were examined, two mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI] and small subunit ribosomal 16S rDNA [16S]) and two nuclear (elongation factor 1 alpha [EF1α] and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase [PEPCK]). Bayesian and parsimony approaches to phylogeny reconstruction resulted in five well-supported major lineages, which were confirmed using a general mixed Yule-coalescent (GMYC) model. Results from the EF1α gene were significantly incongruent with both mitochondrial and nuclear (PEPCK) results, possibly due to incomplete lineage sorting of the EF1α gene. Mean between-clade distance estimated using the COI and PEPCK data was found to be an order of magnitude greater than the within-clade distance and comparable to that previously reported for other recognised Baetis species. Analysis of the Isolation by Distance (IBD) between all samples showed a small but significant effect of IBD. Within each lineage the contribution of IBD was minimal. Tentative dating analyses using an uncorrelated log-normal relaxed clock and two published estimates of COI mutation rates suggest that diversification within the group occurred throughout the Pliocene and mid-Miocene (~2.4-11.5 mya). Conclusions: The distinct lineages of B. harrisoni correspond to categorical environmental variation, with two lineages comprising samples from streams that flow through acidic Table Mountain Sandstone and three lineages with samples from neutral-to-alkaline streams found within eastern South Africa, Malawi and Zambia. The results of this study suggest that B. harrisoni as it is currently recognised is not a single species with a wide geographic range and pH-tolerance, but may comprise up to five species under the phylogenetic species concept, each with limited pH-tolerances, and that the B. harrisoni species group is thus in need of taxonomic review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The snake family Lamprophiidae Fitzinger (Serpentes: Elapoidea) is a putatively Late Eocene radiation of nocturnal snakes endemic to the African continent. It incorporates many of the most characteristic and prolific of Africa’s non-venomous snake species, including the widespread type genus Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (house snakes). We used approximately 2500 bases of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data from 28 (41%) of the approximately 68 recognised lamprophiid species in nine of the eleven genera to investigate phylogenetic structure in the family and to inform taxonomy at the generic level. Cytochrome b, ND4 and tRNA gene sequences (mitochondrial) and c-mos sequences (nuclear) were analysed using Maximum Likelihood, Bayesian Inference and Maximum Parsimony methods. The genus Mehelya Csiki, 1903 was paraphyletic with respect to Gonionotophis Boulenger, 1893. To address this, the concept of Gonionotophis is expanded to include all current Mehelya species. The genus Lamprophis emerged polyphyletic: the enigmatic Lamprophis swazicus was sister to Hormonotus modestus from West Africa, and not closely related to its nominal congeners. It is moved to a new monotypic genus (Inyoka gen. nov.). The remaining Lamprophis species occur in three early-diverging lineages. (1) Lamprophis virgatus and the widely distributed Lamprophis fuliginosus species complex (which also includes Lamprophis lineatus and Lamprophis olivaceus) formed a clade for which the generic name Boaedon Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854 is resurrected. (2) The water snakes (Lycodonomorphus) were nested within Lamprophis (sensu lato), sister to Lamprophis inornatus. We transfer this species to the genus Lycodonomorphus Fitzinger, 1843. (3) We restrict Lamprophis (sensu strictissimo) to a small clade of four species endemic to southern Africa: the type species of Lamprophis Fitzinger, 1843 (Lamprophis aurora) plus Lamprophis fiskii, Lamprophis fuscus and Lamprophis guttatus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]