Lamellothyrea isimangalis: A new species of Flower Chafer from KwaZulu Natal.

Scarab Beetles, Scarabeidae, are a large and diverse group, containing about 30 000 known species from around the world. These Beetles are typically large and robust, and often with a metallic colouration. Many Scarab Beetles are excellent diggers, and many of these digging Scarabs share a habit of burying their eggs with a supply of dung to feed their young, gaining them the name Dung Beetles, though others lay their eggs on carrion, decaying plant matter, or in some cases living plants. Flower Chafers, Cetoniinae, are Scarab Beetles that feed as adults on the nectar and pollen of flowers. The larval habits of this group are variable, with some species predating the larvae of other Insects and others feeding on Bird Droppings - the later being particularly true of Southern African species. The genus Lamellothyrea was described by entomologist Jan Krikken from a single specimen from the Transvaal, in 1980. These Beetles have not subsequently been found in the Transvaal, though they are found in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa, and in the southern part of Mozambique. Recent studies of wild populations of Lamellothyrea have strongly indicated that the South African and Mozambican populations are in fact separate species.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 8 August 2017, Renzo Perissinotto of the School of Environmental Sciences at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, formally describes the KwaZulu Natal population of Lamellothyrea as a new species, having determined that the original Transvaal specimen having been determined to belong to the Mozambican species, so that this population retains the original species name (type species name), Lamellothyrea descarpentriesi.

The new species is named Lamellothyrea isimangalis, in reference to the the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, where most of the population is found. The females of this species are slightly larger than the males, at 21.2–21.8 mm, compared to 20.1–21.4 mm. The species is quite variable in colour, ranging from light brown to metallic purple to dark green. The larvae of this species are not known, but the adults were found on the flowers and fruits of the Dune Waterberry Tree, Sizygium cordatum,  from November to December and February to March, which coincides with peak rainfall in the area.

Lamellothyrea isimangaliso in its natural habitat at St Lucia Estuary. Lynette Clennell in Perissonotto (2017).

Lamellothyrea isimangalis was found prodominantly within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with a small population around Lake Nhlabane, roughly 10 km to the southeast of the park. The population outside that park is apparently vulnerable to coastal dune mining, though the majority of the population should be safe due to the high level of protection within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

Typical habitat of Lamellothyrea isimangaliso in the coastal forest on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia. Nicola Carrasco in Perissonotto (2017).

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A new species of Gastrotrich from KwaZulu-Natal.

Gastrotrichs are microscopic animals of uncertain affinities, reaching at most 3 mm in size, though most species are far smaller. Less than eight hundred species have been described, living between sediment particles on the ocean floor, at the bottom of ponds and rivers and in biofilms covering grains of soil. They have flattened bodies covered in cilia, with a through gut but no respiratory or circulatory system. All gastrotrichs are hermaphrodites, and are eutelic; they have a fixed number of cells.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 10 July 2013, Antonio Todaro of the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Renzo Perissinotto of the School of Life Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Faculty of Science at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Sarah Bownes, also of the chool of Life Sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal describe a new species of Gastrotrich from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu Natal.

The new species is placed in the genus Kijanebalola and given the specific name devestiva, meaning undressed, an allusion to the lack of ornamentation of the species. Kijanebalola devestiva is described from thirteen specimens collected from ponds near Charter’s Creek on the Western Shores of Lake St Lucia. The largest of these specimens reach 310 μm in length. Kijanebalola devestiva is barrel-shaped, with a slight differentiation of the head and body. It has five spines at its terminal end, and two club-like tentacles on its head. The specimens were found living among vegetation above a silty substrate.

Kijanebalola devestiva; schematic drawings. (A) Dorsal view. (B) Ventral view, showing some internal structures. a anus alt antero-lateral tuft of cephalic cilia asb anterior sensory bristle ce cephalion ct cephalic tentacle dlvb lateral band of cephalic cilia extending dorsally and ventrally e egg I-IV, first to fourth band of trunk ciliature mvb median ventral band of cephalic cilia pcl proximal canal cell lumen PhIJ pharyngeo-intestinal junction ps patch of keeled scales psb posterior sensory bristle tsp terminal spines vlt ventro-lateral band of cephalic cilia. Todaro et al. (2013).

Light microscope images of Kijanebalola devestiva. Middle specimen is gravid, with a large egg towards its left (top) side. Bottom specimen is a subadult, with a developing egg in the same position (arrow). Todaro et al. (2013).

See also A new species of Rotifer from Thailand, Two new species of parasitic Nematode from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Two new species of Scolecodont from the Early Devonian of the Ukraine, Two new species of Earthworm from Korea and Fossil Tapeworm eggs from the Permian.

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