Mysidacea of the Mtentu River Estuary,Transkei, South Africa

The Mtentu River has a straight open tidal estuary flowing between steep grassy or indigenous forest-covered slopes. Total high-water surface area is about 0,3 km.^a The zooplankton was studied by periodic sampling over a period of thirteen months. Some physical characteristics of the estuary are presented. The seasonal and spacial distribution and relative importance of four species of mysid, is discussed. The most common mysid in the estuary was Mesopodopsis africana, although Rhopalophthalmus terrcmatalis, in view of its larger size, contributed more to the overall mass of mysids in the samples.     

Faecal analysis suggests generalist diets in three species of Western Cape cordylids

Climate has been proposed as an explanation for the present-day distribution of closely-related melanistic and non-melanistic cordylid species in the southwestern Cape of South Africa. However, diet may also contribute towards shaping geographic distributions. We present preliminary data on diet composition based on analyses of faecal pellets of Cordylus cordylus (non-melanistic), C. niger (melanistic) and C. oelofseni (melanistic). Coleoptera were the most common prey ingested both in summer and early spring for all species, followed by Hymenoptera for all species in summer. The overlap in other arthropod taxa ingested was low across species and seasons, suggesting an opportunistic component to their foraging behaviour.We distinguished plant matter in faecal samples of all species in all seasons, reflecting either voluntary or accidental ingestion. The results of this study suggest that the generalist diets of these cordylid species should not constrain their distributions despite the common preference for coleopterans.     

密度对甜菜夜蛾幼虫色型分化的影响

为明确田间甜菜夜蛾Spodoptera exigua幼虫产生绿色型和黑化型的色型分化原因,在田间系统调查黑化型幼虫所占比例及其与虫口密度的关系,在室内测定不同饲养密度对甜菜夜蛾幼虫色型分化的影响和色型分化敏感龄期,以及视觉、嗅觉和触觉对幼虫色型分化的影响。结果表明,田间甜菜夜蛾1~3龄幼虫均为绿色型,4~5龄幼虫同时存在绿色型和黑化型;在甘蓝上,4龄幼虫中黑化型个体所占比例为21.14%,5龄幼虫中黑色型个体所占比例为28.53%,在辣椒上,4龄幼虫中黑化型个体所占比例为20.54%,5龄幼虫中黑色型个体所占比例为33.88%。随着百株虫量的增加,甘蓝和辣椒上黑化型幼虫所占比例呈现升高趋势。室内研究发现,随着甜菜夜蛾幼虫饲养密度的增加,黑化型幼虫占比显著升高,当饲养密度达到5头/盒时趋于稳定,体色等级指数为3.47; 3龄是甜菜夜蛾幼虫色型分化的敏感龄期;视觉和嗅觉刺激对甜菜夜蛾幼虫黑化无显著影响,而触觉刺激显著促进幼虫黑化,甘蓝叶片碎片和白色聚酯纤维的摩擦处理导致幼虫体色等级指数分别显著升高68.59%和71.79%,表明触觉刺激信号对甜菜夜蛾的密度依赖性黑化有显著促进作用。     

Are melanistic populations of the Karoo girdled lizard,Karusasaurus polyzonus,relics or ecotypes? A molecular investigation

It has been proposed that melanism in cordylids evolved in response to a single climatic event and that melanistic populations of Karusasaurus polyzonus are relictual. This study investigates the genetic relationships of melanistic and non-melanistic populations of K. polyzonus along the west coast of South Africa. Thirty-five specimens of K. polyzonus werecollected from three ‘melanistic’ and eight ‘non-melanistic’ sample localities. Partial sequence data were derived for two mitochondrial DNA loci (16S rRNA and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase component 2 (ND2)) and analysed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. In addition, a haplotype network was constructed using TCS and an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was conducted. The derived topologies were highly congruent and showed that melanistic and non-melanistic populations were interdigitated on all tree topologies and a number of haplotypes were shared between melanistic and non-melanistic specimens. These results suggest that melanistic populations of K. polyzonus are ecotypes, not relics.