Four new earthworm species described

Four new earthworm species described

Four new species from the genus Kazimierzus were recently described from the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa, by Thembeka Nxele and her colleagues. All material are deposited at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg, which houses the biggest Oligochaeta...
Two new springtails described from the Western Cape

Two new springtails described from the Western Cape

Recently two new species of Collembola (springtails) from the genus Friesea was dscribed from the Western Cape. One species, Friesea stevenchowni was collected from the Afromontane forest vegetation in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, while a blind species, Friesea...
Eggs and embryos of the dinosaur Massospondylus

Eggs and embryos of the dinosaur Massospondylus

Eggs with embryos belonging to the southern African dinosaur Massospondylus were discovered in 1978 from a road cut-away in the Golden Gate National Park in the Free State. These dinosaurs lived in the early Jurassic, between 200 and 183 million years ago. A clutch of...
Oldest specimen in the National Herbarium

Oldest specimen in the National Herbarium

The oldest preserved plant specimen in the National Herbarium, Pretoria is Erica mammosa, which was collected by William John Burchell, ( 1781-1863) on the 31st January 1811 on the Cape Flats. Image: Pressed herbarium sheet in the National Herbarium, Pretoria of Erica...
A new grapevine leafminer, Holocacista capensis

A new grapevine leafminer, Holocacista capensis

A new grapevine leafminer from South Africa by Erik J. van Nieukerken of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands and Henk Geertsema, Stellenbosch University A new species of grapevine leafminer was described from material collected from table grape orchards...

NSCF MSc bursary recipients

The NSCF has awarded bursaries to four MSc students for their projects in taxonomy. The following students were the first recipients of the bursaries: Anke De Smit University of the Free State. Project title: Taxonomic and ecological survey of Nematodes from...