Cladistic analysis of the Afrotropical Hersiliidae (Arachnida, Araneae) with the first records of Murricia and the description of a new genus from Madagascar

This study infers a phylogenetic hypothesis for the family Hersiliidae from the Afrotropical Region. A new genus is proposed, Prima gen. n., to include P. ansiae sp. n. from Madagascar. The first record of the genus Murricia Simon from the Afrotropical Region is presented, with the description of a new species, Murricia uva sp. n. from Central Africa. The species level phylogenetic analysis comprises 43 taxa, of which 27 are Afrotropical hersiliids with both sexes known, 13 species non-Afrotropical and three outgroup species; 66 characters were scored. The analysis resulted in 56 most parsimonious trees. The preferred tree supports the monophyly of Tyrotama Foord & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2005, and retrieves it as the sister-group of Hersiliola Thorell, 1870. These two genera form the most basal lineage of the family Hersiliidae. Tama Simon, 1882, is the sister-group of all the remaining hersiliids, again divided in two large lineages. The first of these clades comprises all arboreal hersiliids without biarticulations on the metatarsi I, II and III. Neotama is basal in this clade and the new genus Prima part of its sister-group (Neotama (Tamopsis (Prima (Ypypuera (Iviraiva + Yabisi))))). The second clade consists of two sister clades viz. Hersilia, whose monophyly is confirmed, and the genus Murricia. The family Hersiliidae now includes six genera in the Afrotropical Region, viz. Hersilia, Hersiliola, Murricia, Neotama, Tyrotama Foord & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2005, and Prima n.gen. A key to the Afrotropical genera is provided.Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biolog

Regional invertebrate cross-and within-taxon surrogacy are scale and taxon dependent

This study measured within- and cross-taxon congruence in the diversity of epigeal invertebrates (spiders, beetles and millipedes) and woody vegetation sampled at small spatial grains (0.25 ha) across a large area (30 000 km2) within the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) in South Africa. Beetle, spider, millipede and woody plant diversity was recorded at 160 point localities in 20 sites stratified across the dominant vegetation types of the VBR. Surrogacy relationships were explored using multiple linear regression (species richness) and Mantel tests (composition), while complementarity was analysed using the species accumulation index (SAI). Very little (< 10%) of the variation in invertebrate species richness was explained by woody vegetation richness alone, but the relationship improved when vegetation type was added to the regression, especially for beetles. Woody vegetation assemblages showed a positive but weak congruence with beetle assemblages, especially Tenebrionidae. Woody vegetation assemblage showed poor congruence for spider communities in general, with the exception of Lycosidae. Although cross-taxonomic congruence was observed between woody vegetation and invertebrate taxa, the relations based on SAI were stronger than expected for Coleoptera (Carabidae, Scarabaeidae and Tenebrionidae), positive but weak for spiders (all families), and weak for millipedes which had several localised endemics. Tests of higher taxonomic categories as surrogates were shown to have much greater potential than cross-taxon surrogacy. Genera in particular are excellent surrogates for species. Tribal- or generic-level determinations can be a cost-efficient approach for regional conservation planning exercises which aim to represent smaller scale variations in invertebrate diversity

An inventory of epigeal ants of the western Soutpansberg Mountain Range, South Africa

The distribution, abundance and sensitivity of invertebrates to habitat change are largely unknown. Long-term monitoring of ecological gradients with standardised and comparable protocols can form the basis of a better understanding. Altitudinal gradients are particularly relevant within this context. Here we provide a check list and baseline data for ant species collected over a 5-year period across the Soutpansberg Mountain Range, South Africa. Standardised pitfall surveys across 11 sites yielded a total of 133 species in 38 genera and 6 subfamilies. Sample coverage of epigeal ants was 0.98 for the transect as a whole. Of these species, 21% were restricted to the southern slope of the mountain and 14% to the northern slope. Extrapolated richness estimates reached an asymptote for all, except for three sites. These were the only sites impacted by bush encroachment. Observed richness was the highest at a low-altitude mesic site that is exposed to considerable disturbance by megaherbivores and mechanical clearing of woody vegetation. Structural classification of vegetation was predictive of a broad-scale ant assemblage structure. On a smaller scale, however, structure was a function of elevation, space and temperature. Conservation implications: Future monitoring should target indicator taxa associated with bush encroachment, particularly with reference to their impacts on grasslands. Bush encroachment could endanger several ant species associated with mesic grasslands and woodlands on the mountain, as well as ant diversity, as these were the habitats with the highest ant diversity

A revision of the Afrotropical species of Festucula Simon, 1901 (Araneae: Salticidae)

The Afrotropical species of the jumping spider genus Festucula Simon, 1901 are revised. The genus now contains eight species. Three new species, F. haddadi sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa), F. leroyae sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa and Namibia) and F. robustus sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa) are described. F. australis Lawrence, 1927 is removed from its synonymy with F. festuculaeformis (Lessert, 1925). F. lineata Simon, 1901, previously treated as nomen dubium, is revalidated and redescribed. Three further species, F. australis Lessert, 1933, F. festuculaeformis Lessert, 1933 and F. lawrencei Lessert, 1933, are redescribed

Response of instream animal communities to a short-term extreme event and to longer-term cumulative impacts in a strategic water resource area, South Africa

Disturbance plays an integral part in generating heterogeneity required for ecosystem persistence, but the increased amplitude and duration of disturbances linked to drivers of global change could result in ecosystem shifts or collapse. Biomonitoring over time provides insights into trajectories of ecosystem change. The responses of two instream animal taxa to two contrasting disturbance events, a major flood event and the long-term cumulative effects of land-use changes, were assessed in 1999–2012 by quantifying variation and change in abundance of functional groups based on flow rate sensitivity, water quality and metrics of ecological condition. All metrics recovered to pre-flood conditions within seven months after the flood event. Similarly, cumulative impacts of land use effected significant decreases in some but not all metrics. Indices that did not change, including SASS total score and ASPT, were the result of insufficient consideration of the decrease in the abundance of sensitive taxa specifically, and the abundance of all taxa in general. The decrease in abundance of sensitive taxa could signal imminent collapse in certain metrics. Evidence is also provided for a shift in the structure of fish assemblages linked to the decrease and loss of taxa sensitive to ecosystem degradation caused by the longer-term impacts of land-use change

The life and times of Africa’s First Lady of Arachnology, Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman

Anna Sophia Dippenaar-Schoeman (Ansie) was born in 1948 in Roodepoort, Gauteng, where her parents were shop owners. She is the middle child of three, the siblings being an older sister and a younger brother. Her parents moved to Bronkhorstspruit at the start of her secondary education, where they bought the farm Onverwacht. Much of Ansie’s time here was spent outdoors, helping her father on the farm. Biology was also her best subject when she matriculated at Erasmus High School in 1965. Her aptitude for biology and love of the outdoors set the stage for a remarkable and productive career in science. She started work at the then Department of Agriculture [this department subsequently became the ARC (Agricultural Research Council) in 1994] as a technical assistant in 1967. She was appointed as a team member of a 5-year Dieldrin termite project, where fieldwork was undertaken near Dendron in the Limpopo Province, Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal and Edenville in the Free State, and spent two-thirds of the year sampling spiders as part of the project. She realised that she needed to obtain a degree if she wanted to advance her career and she enrolled at UNISA for a BSc degree with Zoology and Psychology as her main subjects (Zoology was for her work and Psychology for her colleagues) and completed it in 1971

The effect of elevation and time on mountain spider diversity: a view of two aspects in the Cederberg mountains of South Africa

Aim Our aim is to test if long-term patterns in α alpha and ß beta diversity along an elevational transect on two aspects of a mountain are consistent through time using spiders as model organisms, quantify the role of elevation and time (seasonal and inter-annual) in explaining these patterns and partition the relative contribution of nestedness, species turnover and species loss in explaining these diversity patterns. Location The transect is across the Cederberg mountains in the Cape Floristic Kingdom, Western Cape, South Africa and is constituted by 17 sites with an elevational range of 1900 m on two aspects of the mountain (east and west). Methods Spider assemblages were sampled biannually (wet and dry seasons) over 6 years. Four replicates per site, each consisting of a 5 x 2 pitfall grid, were sampled for 5 days sessions. Generalized linear mixed models with Poisson error structure for species richness (alpha diversity), binomial error structure for beta diversity (Jaccard dissimilarity ßcc and its partitioned components, ß-3 and ßrich), and Gaussian error structure for beta diversity values standardized by a null model (SES) were used to model the effects of elevation and season on these two indices respectively. Results Although varying considerably between years, spider alpha diversity had a hump-shaped pattern on the western aspect and U-shaped on the eastern aspect. However, season interacted with elevation to produce more complex patterns during the dry season. There was no significant nestedness except for two instances on the western aspect. Replacement accounted for 60–70% of beta diversity between sites, and elevational distance decay in beta diversity was the result of increased turnover on the western aspect and increased species loss on the eastern aspect. Standardized patterns suggest that there are no effects of season on beta diversity except for a decreased distance decay during the dry season on the western aspect. Main conclusions Large-scale predictors of spider alpha diversity explained small amounts of variation in spider diversity, pointing to the importance of local and stochastic processes. Regional turnover of spider diversity is mainly the result of niche processes, suggesting localized adaptation of taxa, further supported by the lack of nestedness in assemblages

Revision of the Afrotropical crab-spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Thomisidae)

The Afrotropical spider genus Parabomis Kulczyński, 1901 is revised. Members of Parabomis are some of the smallest thomisids known, and occur from Eritrea in the north of Africa to South Africa in the south, but are absent from Madagascar. Prior to this study, three species were known, namely P. levanderi Kulczyński, 1901 (Eritrea, ♂), P. martini Lessert, 1919 (Tanzania, ♂♀) and P. anabensis Lawrence, 1928 (Namibia, ♀). Parabomis anabensis sp. nov. is here recognized as a junior synonym of P. martini and four new species are described: P. elsae sp. nov. from South Africa (♂♀), P. megae sp. nov. from Zimbabwe (♂♀), P. pilosus sp. nov. from Botswana (♂♀) and P. wandae sp. nov. from Ghana (♂♀). A key to the six species is provided. The monotypic Afrotropical genus Felsina Simon, 1895, only known from its type species, F. granulum Simon, 1895, resembles Parabomis closely is known only from juveniles

New records of Cladomelea from South Africa, including the first records of C. longipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877) (Araneae, Araneidae) outside its type locality

We present the first records of the bolas spider, Cladomelea longipes (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877), beyond its type locality, resulting in a considerable extension of its geographic range in Africa. We compare C. longipes with the two other species of Cladomelea known from South Africa, C. akermani Hewitt, 1923 and C. debeeri Roff & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2004. Images of live specimens and a distribution map are provided. Cladomelea longipes is very rare locally but has a relatively large geographical distribution in the Afrotropical Region

Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity

High-altitude-adapted ectotherms can escape competition from dominant species by tolerating low temperatures at cooler elevations, but climate change is eroding such advantages. Studies evaluating broad-scale impacts of global change for high-altitude organisms often overlook the mitigating role of biotic factors. Yet, at fine spatial-scales, vegetation-associated microclimates provide refuges from climatic extremes. Using one of the largest standardised data sets collected to date, we tested how ant species composition and functional diversity (i.e., the range and value of species traits found within assemblages) respond to large-scale abiotic factors (altitude, aspect), and fine-scale factors (vegetation, soil structure) along an elevational gradient in tropical Africa. Altitude emerged as the principal factor explaining species composition. Analysis of nestedness and turnover components of beta diversity indicated that ant assemblages are specific to each elevation, so species are not filtered out but replaced with new species as elevation increases. Similarity of assemblages over time (assessed using beta decay) did not change significantly at low and mid elevations but declined at the highest elevations. Assemblages also differed between northern and southern mountain aspects, although at highest elevations, composition was restricted to a set of species found on both aspects. Functional diversity was not explained by large scale variables like elevation, but by factors associated with elevation that operate at fine scales (i.e., temperature and habitat structure). Our findings highlight the significance of fine-scale variables in predicting organisms’ responses to changing temperature, offering management possibilities that might dilute climate change impacts, and caution when predicting assemblage responses using climate models, alone