scholarly journals A new species of Pseudoacanthocephalus (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchidae) from the guttural toad, Sclerophrys gutturalis (Bufonidae), introduced into Mauritius, with comments on the implications of the introductions of toads and their parasites into the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.R. Smales ◽  
S.J.R. Allain ◽  
J.W. Wilkinson ◽  
E. Harris
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Washing Machine ◽  
Cane Toad ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Machine Cycle ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Proboscis Receptacle ◽  
A New Species

Abstract Pseudoacanthocephalus goodmani n. sp. is described from faecal pellets collected from Sclerophrys gutturalis (Power, 1927), the guttural toad. The species is characterized by a suite of characters, including a proboscis armature of 14–18 longitudinal rows of 4–6 hooks with simple roots, lemnisci longer than the proboscis receptacle, equatorial testes, a cluster of elongated cement glands and eggs without polar prolongations of the middle membrane 72.6–85.8 long. The toad had been accidentally translocated from Mauritius to the UK in a tourist's luggage and survived a washing machine cycle. The guttural toad was introduced into Mauritius from South Africa in 1922 and the cane toad, Rhinella marina (Linneaus, 1758), from South America, between 1936 and 1938. It seems most likely, therefore, that P. goodmani was introduced, with the guttural toad, from South Africa. The cane toad is host to the similar species, Pseudoacanthocephalus lutzi, from the Americas, but P. lutzi has not been recorded from places where the cane toad has been introduced elsewhere. Clearly, the guttural toad is a hardy and adaptable species, although it seems unlikely that it could become established in Northern Europe. Nevertheless, any accidental translocation of hosts poses the potential risk of introducing unwanted pathogens into the environment and should be guarded against.

On some new and old soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) from Africa, with description of a new Coccus species and introduction of a new genus 

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4612 (3) ◽  
pp. 373
Author(s):  
BOŻENA ŁAGOWSKA ◽  
CHRIS J. HODGSON
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Type Species ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Scale Insects ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Soft Scale ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species

A new species of soft scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha; Cocccidae) from South Africa, Coccus giliomeei Łagowska & Hodgson sp. n., collected on Gymnosporia buxifolia (L.) Szyszyl, is described and illustrated. Also, Coccus rhodesiensis (Hall) is recorded for the first time from South Africa and is redescribed and illustrated based on the adult females of the type series and fresh South African specimens. An updated key to the species of Coccus and similar species known from Africa is included. Based on this latter study, (i) Marsipococcus proteae (Brain) and M. durbanensis (Brain) are considered not to be congeneric with Marsipococcus marsupialis (Green), the type species of Marsipococcus Cockerell & Bueker, and are placed in a new genus Proteacoccus Łagowska & Hodgson, gen. n. with Lecanium proteae Brain as the type species; (ii) it is considered that Coccus asiaticus Lindinger is clearly not a junior synonym of Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner) and is accepted as a full species, rev. stat., and (iii) Neoplatylecanium adersi (Newstead) is considered to be non-conspecific with N. cinnamomi Takahashi, the type species of Neoplatylecanium Takahashi, and is transferred to Maacoccus Tao & Wong, as Maacoccus adersi (Newstead), comb. n. 

A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae) from the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4379 (2) ◽  
pp. 268 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANNES LANDSCHOFF ◽  
DWI LISTYO RAHAYU
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Species ◽  
South African ◽  
Hermit Crab ◽  
Ovigerous Female ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Μct Scan ◽  
Molecular Barcode ◽  
A New Species

A new diogenid hermit crab with bright-white chelae, Diogenes albimanus n. sp., is described and illustrated, based on a single ovigerous female collected from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The new species is compared to morphologically similar species, in particular to D. holthuisi and D. dorotheae, from which it is distinguishable by the shape and armature of the telson; and also to the superficially-similar South African D. extricatus, from which it differs by having the unarmed dorsal margins of the propodi and meri of the pereopods, as opposed to being armed with rows of strong spines. The unusually white chelae are similar in colour to those of D. takedai, but the coloration of all other parts is different in these two species. High quality macro photographs, a high-resolution microCT (μCT) scan of the whole animal, and the reference to the repository of the molecular barcode of the new species are provided. 

scholarly journals Lasiopteridi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) with aciculate ovipositor and larval puparium

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1910 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-26
Author(s):  
KEITH M. Harris
Keyword(s):  
New Genus ◽  
Gall Midge ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Acer Campestre ◽  
Norway Maple ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Japan And China ◽  
Northern Japan

The Acer seed midge, a new species and genus of gall midge, Acumyia acericola (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is described on the basis of larval, pupal and adult specimens from collections made at Hainault Forest and Lambourne Common, Essex, and other parts of the UK, during 2006–08. The new genus is distinguished from all known genera of Cecidomyiidae by the combination of a larval puparium and an aciculate ovipositor. It is assigned to the supertribe Lasiopteridi and probably belongs in the tribe Dasineurini. Larvae develop in the ovular cavities of field maple, Acer campestre L., and Norway maple, A. platanoides L., and prevent seed development. Observations suggest that this species is biennial, with final instar larvae surviving for at least two years in Acer seeds lying in leaf litter and soil. The species has been recorded from Acer seeds in continental Europe and plant quarantine interceptions in the USA indicate that the same or similar species are present in Japan and China. Two puparia, possibly of this species, were discovered recently in A. palmatum fruits collected in Honshu, northern Japan.

scholarly journals A new Eumerus hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) from Namibia and South Africa, with notes on similar species

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4890 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-508
Author(s):  
ANTONIO RICARTE ◽  
MARTIN HAUSER ◽  
SCOTT KINNEE ◽  
Mª ÁNGELES MARCOS-GARCÍA
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Species ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
African Species ◽  
Afrotropical Region ◽  
National Botanic Garden ◽  
A New Species

Within the pollinator family Syrphidae, Eumerus Meigen, 1822 is a diverse genus with over 70 species recorded in the Afrotropical Region. A new species is described here from Namibia and South Africa. Adults are small to medium size flies, with spur-like expansions in the metatarsomeres 2 and 3. DNA sequences of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were obtained from Namibian specimens. This is only the second Eumerus species documented from Namibia, where it was recorded from The National Botanic Garden, Windhoek. The new species is compared with similar species such as Eumerus vestitus Bezzi, 1912, for which a lectotype is designated. In addition, a new and preliminary morphological concept of the Eumerus obliquus group is proposed and a key to its African species is provided. 

International Listening Post report summary: the world at the dawn of 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-124
Author(s):  
Sandy Henderson ◽  
Ulrike Beland ◽  
Dimitrios Vonofakos
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
The South ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

On or around 9 January 2019, twenty-two Listening Posts were conducted in nineteen countries: Canada, Chile, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany (Frankfurt and Berlin), Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy (two in Milan and one in the South), Peru, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, and the UK. This report synthesises the reports of those Listening Posts and organises the data yielded by them into common themes and patterns.

scholarly journals Drivers of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Overuse across Diverse Hospital Contexts—A Qualitative Study of Prescribers in the UK, Sri Lanka and South Africa

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Carolyn Tarrant ◽  
Andrew M. Colman ◽  
David R. Jenkins ◽  
Edmund Chattoe-Brown ◽  
Nelun Perera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Low Income ◽  
System Level ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Uk

Antimicrobial stewardship programs focus on reducing overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSAs), primarily through interventions to change prescribing behavior. This study aims to identify multi-level influences on BSA overuse across diverse high and low income, and public and private, healthcare contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 prescribers from hospitals in the UK, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, including public and private providers. Interviews explored decision making about prescribing BSAs, drivers of the use of BSAs, and benefits of BSAs to various stakeholders, and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Analysis identified drivers of BSA overuse at the individual, social and structural levels. Structural drivers of overuse varied significantly across contexts and included: system-level factors generating tensions with stewardship goals; limited material resources within hospitals; and patient poverty, lack of infrastructure and resources in local communities. Antimicrobial stewardship needs to encompass efforts to reduce the reliance on BSAs as a solution to context-specific structural conditions.

scholarly journals Shape-shifting and pushing against the odds: staff perceptions of the experiences of first generation students in South Africa and the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Forsyth ◽  
Claire Hamshire ◽  
Danny Fontaine-Rainen ◽  
Leza Soldaat
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
First Generation Students ◽  
Staff Perceptions ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Diversity And Inclusion ◽  
University Life ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe principles of diversity and inclusion are valued across the higher education sector, but the ways in which these principles are translated into pedagogic practice are not always evident. Students who are first in their family to attend university continue to report barriers to full participation in university life. They are more likely to leave their studies early, and to achieve lower grades in their final qualifications, than students whose families have previous experience of higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a mismatch between staff perceptions and students’ experiences might be a possible contributor to these disparities. The study explored and compared staff discourses about the experiences of first generation students at two universities, one in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other in South Africa (SA). One-to-one interviews were carried out with 40 staff members (20 at each institution) to explore their views about first generation students. The results showed that staff were well aware of challenges faced by first generation students; however, they were unsure of their roles in relation to shaping an inclusive environment, and tended not to consider how to use the assets that they believed first generation students bring with them to higher education. This paper explores these staff discourses; and considers proposals for challenging commonly-voiced assumptions about students and university life in a broader context of diversity and inclusive teaching practice.

scholarly journals Caterpillars of the marsh fritillary butterfly Euphydryas aurinia can extend their life-cycle in Scotland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil O. M. Ravenscroft
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Northern Europe ◽  
First Year ◽  
Winter Mortality ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Euphydryas Aurinia ◽  
High Conservation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Marsh Fritillary

AbstractThe marsh fritillary Euphydryas aurinia is declining across Europe and is of high conservation interest. Its ecology has been defined and its conservation status assessed primarily from the affinities and populations of young caterpillars in the autumn, before hibernation and high winter mortality. The possibility that caterpillars of E. aurinia can overwinter more than once was investigated on the Isle of Islay, Scotland after caterpillars were found to occur at some locations in the spring despite a pre-hibernation absence. Closely-related species in North America and Northern Europe can prolong larval development by diapausing for a year as does E. aurinia in Scandinavia. Measurements of development and manipulations of distribution confirmed that some caterpillars do extend the life-cycle in Scotland and may occur in areas devoid of larvae in their first year. Caterpillars attempting this life-cycle develop slowly in spring, attain the normal penultimate spring instar and then enter diapause while other caterpillars are pupating. They moult just before diapause, construct highly cryptic webs and on emergence the following spring are 5–6 times heavier than larvae emerging in their first spring, or the equivalent of a month or so ahead. They attain a final, extra instar as larvae in their first spring reach the penultimate instar. Knowledge of this life-cycle is confined in the UK to Islay but its occurrence in this mild climate implies that it is more widespread.Implications for insect conservation Conditions that permit long diapause are probably precise and may not be reflected in recognised qualities of habitat. The species may also be present despite a perceived absence in autumn, the standard period for monitoring. Assessments of the prevalence of the life-cycle and its contribution to the persistence of E. aurinia are required. Populations of E. aurinia are known to fluctuate greatly and do occur below the observation threshold for long periods.

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