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Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA). SALCA was founded on the importance of Lepidoptera both ecologically and as biodiversity indicators and the proven expertise of the participants during the Southern African Butterfly Conservation Assessment (SABCA). The main outcomes of the SALCA project are presented and discussed here.The SALCA tool, a custom-designed interactive distribution database, enabled high quality data to be derived so that accurate conservation assessments could be produced in accordance with IUCN methodology. The Red Lists of SALCA and SABCA facilitated the first opportunity to calculate the Red List Index (RLI) for South African butterflies during the period from 2012–2018. Other metrics required for the NBA included protection level and threats analyses. A further outcome was the critical habitat mapping for butterflies, which formed part of a screening tool implemented by SANBI, to ensure that land use changes did not cause any further loss of butterfly biodiversity.A comprehensive distribution database was developed for South African moths, enabling data to be analysed so that moth species potentially threatened could be short-listed for further investigation.Geographical hotspots and ecosystems (vegetation types) containing butterflies of conservation concern are highlighted. The societal, economic and human wellbeing benefits of conserving Lepidoptera are identified. Responses by LepSoc Africa to the increasing pressures on South African Lepidoptera biodiversity, are also reported on and discussed. The significant outcomes of SABCA and SALCA are benchmarked against a well-known European butterfly atlasing and conservation assessment project.The 165 SALCA Red Lists and conservation assessments are presented at the end of this publication. PDF Published 2022-03-27 Issue Vol. 31 No. 4 (2020) Section Articles All copyright for publications belongs to the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa NPC (LepSoc Africa) and/or the individual author(s), in terms of a Creative Commons license, which can be viewed at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/, and which only allows users to copy, distribute and transmit the work, whilst prohibiting commercial use and preventing alteration, transformation of, or building upon the work. The finally formatted, printed version is under the copyright of LepSoc Africa as the publisher, although the author(s) retain the right to fully use the content of the article, provided that the publisher is acknowledged. Text extracts may be used by third parties with prior, written permission from the Metamorphosis Editor and (as a minimum) the senior author. The journal name, volume, number and date of publication must be acknowledged by the third party together with the author(s) and title of the article.

Aerial photography provides historic record of features at the time the photograph was captured, and can assist with exploring changes in the habitat of threatened species. The host-plant of the Critically Endangered, endemic Pennington’s Protea butterfly Capys penningtoni, the Common Sugarbush Protea caffra Meisn. subsp. caffra, is a resprouter after fire which eventually dies if burnt too frequently. Six sites (Marwaqa Nature Reserve, Impendle Nature Reserve, Clairmont Mountain Nature Reserve, Lotheni Nature Reserve, Lot 93 1821 near Mkhomazi River [Nxamalala Traditional Council] and Mt Le Sueur) where the butterfly species had been previously recorded were selected to estimate the number of adult P. caffra subsp. caffra trees present using aerial photographs (2009). Protea trees in the vicinity of the C. penningtoni butterfly collection sites were point-digitised off aerial photographs. Polygons were digitised around coverages of protea trees using a distance of 50 m between trees to determine the outer margin of each coverage. The imagery data were ground-truthed by verifying the location and identities of P. caffra subsp. caffra trees at each site, using a sample of the total number of digitised trees. The ground-truthing enabled the separation of P. caffra subsp. caffra trees from Silver Protea Protea roupelliae trees, and the separation of P. caffra subsp. caffra trees with overlapping canopies. Contemporary presence of P. caffra subsp. caffra trees in relation to presence in 2009 was determined. Fire frequency data for each site was obtained via landsatlook viewer (USGS). We found that the protea savanna at most of the sampled sites was burnt about once every year between July and September. This project indicated the potential utility of aerial photographs and aerial imagery for the purposes of assessing the status of P. caffra subsp. caffra and H. axyridis in the habitat of the Critically Endangered and endemic C. penningtoni and for directing the placement of sampling plots in the field.

The article gives 70 Pterophoridae species of nature reserves and national parks of KwaZulu Natal province, Republic of South Africa. New taxonomic combinations are revealed, new data on the distribution of Plume moths in the Republic of South Africa are indicated. New generic combinations were established for two species of Marasmarcha ammonias (Meyrick, 1909) and Sphenarches erythrodactylus (Fletcher, 1911). 7 species are recorded for the first time for the province of KwaZulu Natal.

Two new species are added to the genus Armstrongium (dlinza and carolinae). The genera Silvanidium, Silvanidiella, Pondoidium, and Parasilvanidium are treated as subgenera of Eremidium. The nominal subgenus Eremidium (Eremidium) appears to be comprised of five species groups, here called Group A through E. The subgenus E. (Silvanidium) is considered to included only the type species, E. (S.) armstrongi (Brown). Of the three species previously placed under Silvanidium, aculeatum Brown and peninsulare Brown are moved to Silvanidiella and margaretae Brown is moved to a new subgenus Natalium. Pondoidium trilineatum Brown is placed under Eremidium (Pondoidium). The subgenus Eremidium (Eremidium) now includes 21 species, of which two are new. The subgenus Eremidium (Silvanidiella) presently includes 17 species, of which 11 are new. The subgenus Eremidium (Pondoidium) presently includes 10 species, of which 4 are new. The subgenus Eremidium (Parasilvanidium) presently includes one species, previously placed under Parasilvanidium.A new genus Zulutettix is described to include 4 new species: unicornis, entumeni, hluhluwe, and tarranti.

Certain groups of invertebrates are becoming mainstreamed in conservation activities in KwaZulu-Natal, especially taxa that have many narrow-range species endemic to the province. As a result, there may be a need to assign common (in this case English) names where these are unavailable. A list of scientific names and standardised common names is presented for earthworm species occurring in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, north-eastern South Africa.

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 KwaZulu-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.

Earthworms are an important component of southern African invertebrate diversity, due both to their influential roles in soil ecosystems, and the relatively large number of species. As of 2010, there were 282 indigenous earthworm species (most endemic) known to South Africa belonging to three families: Microchaetidae, Tritogeniidae and Acanthodrilidae. In addition, 44 introduced species from six families had been recorded. However, earthworms are rarely included in environmental monitoring or conservation programmes—partly because sampling and species identification are difficult and many sampling methods are destructive and/or toxic. In this paper we review the earthworm sampling techniques most commonly used by screening data from a digitised literature collection on South African earthworms and on-line global searches. By examining a case study sampling of three vegetation types, this paper highlights taxonomic challenges and the effort required to properly curate specimens. The study provides...

Certain groups of invertebrates are becoming mainstreamed in conservation activities in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly groups that have many species endemic to the province and that are confined to small distribution ranges. As a result of this there is a need to assign common (English) names where these are unavailable. A list of scientific names and standardised common names is presented for species of millipede occurring in KwaZulu-Natal.

Marius Descamps (1977) established the genus Whitea for four new species of forbhoppers (Orthoptera: Thericleidae) from the present-day Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The type species (by original designation) is W. fissicauda Descamps, 1977. Descamps's genus name is, however, preoccupied by Whitea Hutton, 1904, the name of a monotypic shortwing mould beetle genus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from New Zealand. Whitea Hutton is itself a replacement name and was involved in another nomenclatural muddle, resolved by Brown (1964). The type species of the pselaphine genus (by monotypy) is Euplectus laevifrons Broun, 1893: 1425.

Biodiversity targets, or estimates of the quantities of biodiversity features that should be conserved in a region, are fundamental to systematic conservation planning. We propose that targets for species should be based on the quantitative thresholds developed for the Vulnerable category of the IUCN Red List system, thereby avoiding future listings of species in an IUCN Red List threat category or an increase in the extinction risk, or ultimate extinction, of species already listed as threatened. Examples of this approach are presented for case studies from South Africa, including threatened taxa listed under the IUCN Red List criteria of A to D, a species listed as Near Threatened, a species of conservation concern due to its rarity, and one species in need of recovery. The method gives rise to multiple representation targets, an improvement on the often used single representation targets that are inadequate for long term maintenance of biodiversity or the arbitrary multiple representation and percentage targets that are sometimes adopted. Through the implementation of the resulting conservation plan, these targets will ensure that the conservation status of threatened species do not worsen over time by qualifying for higher categories of threat and may actually improve their conservation status by eliminating the threat of habitat loss and stabilizing population declines. The positive attributes ascribed to the IUCN Red List system, and therefore to the species targets arising from this approach, are important when justifying decisions that limit land uses known to be detrimental to biodiversity.

The coastal population of the black‐headed dwarf chameleon Bradypodion melanocephalum is threatened by rapid urban expansion in and around Durban which lies in the centre of the chameleon population's distribution. Translocations of threatened species from urban development sites is a mitigation method that is used in various parts of the world. The translocation of B. melanocephalum largely by volunteers from a proposed light industrial business park to two neighbouring areas with partially restored habitats was eventually successful in one recipient area and unsuccessful in the other. The results suggest that translocations of B. melanocephalum from development construction sites to recipient areas will only be successful if adequate time and resources are available for: a) finding and securing suitable areas for habitat restoration; b) sufficient restoration of the indigenous vegetation in the recipient areas before the capture and translocation of B. melanocephalum from the proposed developme...

The KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service is undertaking a long-term project to determine the value of untransformed land for biodiversity conservation, to map these areas in accordance with their relative values, and to identify and prioritise irreplaceable areas. Existing distribution data for amphibian and reptile species and subspecies that are considered endemic to KwaZulu-Natal were collated, refined, entered into a database, checked and verified before being used for modelling purposes. The potential distributions of the species were modelled at a scale of four hectares using distribution data of spatial resolution of ≤ 250 m. Six of the 14 endemic amphibian and reptilian species and subspecies meet the two conservation goals of: (1) at least 10 % of their present distributions under formal conservation management, and; (2) three such protected areas with viable populations. A benefit of modelling the potential distributions of endemics is that searching for populations of these amphibians and reptiles can be directed to areas where they are expected to occur. The data collected can then be used to improve the distribution models for these endemics, some of which are poorly known. The species distributions and their associated conservation targets form a vital component of the long-term, iterative, systematic conservation planning project currently underway in the province.

The Endangered Orachrysops ariadne (Butler 1898) (Karkloof blue butterfly) is endemic to the Endangered Moist Midlands Grassland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is extant at four sites. The results from the monitoring of the eggs laid by O. ariadne in a grassland area that is frequently burnt by poor rural people to ensure that palatable grass is available to their livestock, suggested the implementation of management interventions (fencing and firebreak burning) to prevent the local extinction of the butterfly. The number of eggs at the monitoring site declined dramatically between 2002 and 2003 and fluctuated after the management interventions were initiated properly in 2008, but had nearly reached the target number of 250 by 2013. An index count method for the monitoring of O. ariadne eggs at the other three known colonies, where plant invasion rather than uncontrolled burning is a major threat, was developed and shown to be efficient with regard to time relative to the number of eggs sampled. The host ant Camponotus natalensis (F. Smith 1858) (Natal sugar ant) was found to be present in all the host-plant patches at one colony site, indicating that all host-plant patches are likely to be breeding areas for the butterfly. Invasive plant control at and appropriate burning of the habitat of O. ariadne should assist in ensuring the survival of these colonies.Conservation implications: Adaptive monitoring and management of threatened endemic invertebrates and their habitats may be crucial for their continued survival. The development of efficient methods for the monitoring of such species is required where resources are limited, as threats to the species may cause sudden and irreversible declines in population size.

Amphibians are the most threatened Class of vertebrate, with wetland-associated anurans in particularsuffering high levels of habitat loss. We used predictive modelling to better understand the distribution ofa critically endangered South African endemic (Hyperolius pickersgilli) and to guide conservation action.MaxEnt distribution models were produced based on limited occurrence data. Predicted localities withprobability of occurrence ≥60% were surveyed. Ten new sub-populations were discovered. The meanprobability of occurrence for the species at wetlands where it was detected was greater than that atwetlands where it was not detected or absent. In addition, 17 known historical localities were re-visitedand the species deemed absent at 8 of these. The total number of localities at which the species is nowknown to occur is 18, which is an increase in the known extant sub-populations of six. We recalculate thearea of occupancy and extent of occurrence for the species as 108 km2and 2081.5 km2, respectively; bothincreases on previous estimates. Implications of these changes on the IUCN Red List status of H. pickersgilliare discussed. A friction map was created to identify possible linkages between sub-populations, whichcan be used to guide habitat restoration and population repatriation. Given the degree of isolation ofsubpopulations and the potentially severe threats to most of these, urgent conservation action for H.pickersgilli remains crucial. This study provides a method for use in conservation planning for wetland-breeding amphibians in eastern coastal regions of Africa and elsewhere. http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-for-nature-conservation/

A survey to document and describe the alpine flora and various focal faunal taxa on six isolated inselberg-like peaks (total area of 31.9 ha), all 3000 m or higher, located in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa, was undertaken in early summer in 2005. Study of the fauna of these peaks should be informative because the impacts of controllable anthropogenic threats on the invertebrate communities on them should be minimal or absent in comparison with those on the main massif. A total of 341 invertebrate individuals representing 61 species were recorded from the focal taxa (Oligochaeta, Gastropoda and certain groups of Insecta, i.e. focal taxa within the Blattoidea, Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera). The 61 species recorded consisted of two species from the Oligochaeta, one species from the Gastropoda and 58 species from the Insecta. Eleven species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are endemic and 11 species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are probably endemic 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 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 Outer Horn, Inner Horn and Dragon’s Back and from the cluster formed by the southernmost peak, Cathkin. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling results indicated that distance from the Sentinel, the most northerly peak sampled, and mean minimum temperature for July had the strongest correlations with the species data, reflecting change over a straight-line distance of nearly 60 km in a south-easterly direction.Conservation implications: Only a small proportion (ca. 5.5%) of the DAC is conserved, the majority of which lies in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Conservation of more of the DAC, including more of its latitudinal extent, is required to adequately conserve its unique plant and invertebrate communities.

A survey to document and describe the alpine flora and various focal faunal taxa on six isolated inselberg-like peaks (total area of 31.9 ha), all 3000 m or higher, located in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa, was undertaken in early summer in 2005. Study of the fauna of these peaks should be informative because the impacts of controllable anthropogenic threats on the invertebrate communities on them should be minimal or absent in comparison with those on the main massif. A total of 341 invertebrate individuals representing 61 species were recorded from the focal taxa (Oligochaeta, Gastropoda and certain groups of Insecta, i.e. focal taxa within the Blattoidea, Dermaptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera). The 61 species recorded consisted of two species from the Oligochaeta, one species from the Gastropoda and 58 species from the Insecta. Eleven species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are endemic and 11 species (one from the Oligochaeta, ten from the Insecta) are probably endemic 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 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 Outer Horn, Inner Horn and Dragon’s Back and from the cluster formed by the southernmost peak, Cathkin. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling results indicated that distance from the Sentinel, the most northerly peak sampled, and mean minimum temperature for July had the strongest correlations with the species data, reflecting change over a straight-line distance of nearly 60 km in a south-easterly direction.Conservation implications: Only a small proportion (ca. 5.5%) of the DAC is conserved, the majority of which lies in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site. Conservation of more of the DAC, including more of its latitudinal extent, is required to adequately conserve its unique plant and invertebrate communities.

A number of global priority region schemes have been developed, but local assessments are needed to identify priority areas for conservation within these regions. Here, we describe results from a conservation assessment for Maputaland, part of a biodiversity hotspot in southern Africa that is also the focus of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) initiative between South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland. The TFCA seeks to establish new state-, private- and communally-managed conservation areas to boost economic development through nature-based tourism and game ranching. The assessment will guide the TFCA process and used a systematic conservation planning approach to design a landscape to conserve 44 landcover types, 53 species and 14 ecological processes. The assessment also included data on modelled risk of agricultural transformation, of which low-risk areas were selected where possible. The current PA systems in the three countries cover 3830 km2, which represents 21.2% of the region, and meet the representation targets for 46% of the conservation features. The proposed conservation landscape adds 4291 km2 of new core areas and 480 km2 of linkages and, if appropriate, could provide potential revenues of US$18.8 million from game ranching, based on modelled large ungulate density, life history and game auction data. We also discuss the benefits of including data on widely distributed, better known conservation features together with less-well studied, range-restricted species and the advantages of using agricultural transformation risk data in conservation assessments.

Subterranean herpetofauna comprise an estimated 20% of the world's amphibians and reptiles but are one of the least studied groups of terrestrial vertebrates. Monitoring population trends and threats to these species is dependent in part on quantitative historical data, which are generally lacking. One exception is a 1970 study conducted in Ndumu Game Reserve, South Africa. We revisited this area in 2004 and carried out comparative quantitative sampling in deciduous broad-leaf woodland and sand forest habitats. Our results show a 79% reduction in density of subterranean herpetofauna, as well as a reduction in diversity. Mann-Whitney tests show that the amphisbaenian Zygaspis vandami has undergone a significant reduction in density in both habitats sampled. We relate reductions in subterranean herpetofaunal densities to an increased density of the Reserve's ungulate grazers, suggesting a link between reduction in leaf-litter and soil macrofauna prey of the fossorial reptiles. This study highlights the need for quantitative surveys of subterranean herpetofauna to support future conservation efforts.

Invertebrates constitute a substantial proportion of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and are critical to ecosystem function. However, their inclusion in biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning and management has lagged behind better-known, more widely appreciated taxa. Significant progress in invertebrate surveys, systematics and bioindication, both globally and locally, means that their use in biodiversity monitoring and conservation is becoming increasingly feasible. Here we outline challenges and solutions to the integration of invertebrates into biodiversity management objectives and monitoring in protected areas in South Africa. We show that such integration is relevant and possible, and assess the relative suitability of seven key taxa in this context. Finally, we outline a series of recommendations for mainstreaming invertebrates in conservation planning, surveys and monitoring in and around protected areas.Conservation implications: Invertebrates constitute a substantial and functionally significant component of terrestrial biodiversity and are valuable indicators of environmental condition. Although consideration of invertebrates has historically been neglected in conservation planning and management, substantial progress with surveys, systematics and bioindication means that it is now both feasible and advisable to incorporate them into protected area monitoring activities.