Research Article |
Corresponding author: Matthew S. Bird ( mattsbird@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Mariano Michat
© 2017 Matthew S. Bird, David T. Bilton, Renzo Perissinotto.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Bird MS, Bilton DT, Perissinotto R (2017) Diversity and distribution of polyphagan water beetles (Coleoptera) in the Lake St Lucia system, South Africa. ZooKeys 656: 51-84. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.656.11622
|
Water beetles belonging to the suborder Polyphaga vary greatly in larval and adult ecologies, and fulfil important functional roles in shallow-water ecosystems by processing plant material, scavenging and through predation. This study investigates the species richness and composition of aquatic polyphagan assemblages in and around the St Lucia estuarine lake (South Africa), within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A total of 32 sites were sampled over three consecutive collection trips between 2013 and 2015. The sites encompassed a broad range of aquatic habitats, being representative of the variety of freshwater and estuarine environments present on the St Lucia coastal plain. Thirty-seven polyphagan taxa were recorded during the dedicated surveys of this study, in addition to seven species-level records from historical collections. Most beetles recorded are relatively widespread Afrotropical species and only three are endemic to South Africa. Samples were dominated by members of the Hydrophilidae (27 taxa), one of which was new to science (Hydrobiomorpha perissinottoi Bilton, 2016). Despite the fauna being dominated by relatively widespread taxa, five represent new records for South Africa, highlighting the poor state of knowledge on water beetle distribution patterns in the region. Wetlands within the dense woodland characterising the False Bay region of St Lucia supported a distinct assemblage of polyphagan beetles, whilst sites occurring on the Eastern and Western Shores of Lake St Lucia were very similar in their beetle composition. In line with the Afrotropical region as a whole, the aquatic Polyphaga of St Lucia appear to be less diverse than the Hydradephaga, for which 68 species were recorded during the same period. However, the results of the present study, in conjunction with those for Hydradephaga, show that the iSimangaliso Wetland Park contains a high beetle diversity. The ongoing and future ecological protection of not only the estuarine lake itself, but also surrounding freshwater wetlands, is imperative and should be taken into consideration during future management planning for the park.
Afrotropical region, biodiversity census, aquatic Coleoptera, Polyphaga , Hydrophilidae , iSimangaliso Wetland Park
A recent survey of the Hydradephaga of the Lake St Lucia system, located within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, has shown that this is a hot-spot of aquatic beetle diversity, with 68 species recorded in total, including several new records for the region (
The suborder Polyphaga includes the vast majority of beetles, with an estimated 320 000 species currently described in 151 families (
Like the hydradephagans, polyphagans are also found in all types of aquatic habitats and although they do not spread into the open ocean, some species are able to tolerate hypersaline conditions as high as 250‰, especially hydraenids in the genus Ochthebius Leach, 1815 (
The St Lucia lake system is part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site and a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance (
The sampling design and protocol for this study follow those described by
Lake St Lucia (27°52'0"S to 28°24'0"S and 32°21'0"E to 32°34'0"E) is located in the north-eastern corner of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal province and is a large (~ 300 to 350 km2) estuarine lake system comprising three interconnected shallow lakes (South Lake, North Lake and False Bay) that are joined to the Indian Ocean via a 21 km channel known as the Narrows (Fig.
Six waterbody types were sampled (following the classification of
Geographic position and classification of the waterbodies sampled during this study. Sampling took place during the three collecting trips to Lake St Lucia during November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015. Classification (wetland type) follows the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach of
Site | GPS (D°M'S") | Wetland type | Region | Nov 2013 | Jul 2014 | Jan/ Feb 2015 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 28°20'53.33"S | 32°23'38.42"E | River (pool) | WS | × | × | |
2 | 28°20'54.23"S | 32°22'59.68"E | Depression | WS | × | ||
3 | 28°21'10.77"S | 32°23'7.88"E | Channelled valley bottom | WS | × | ||
4 | 28°21'7.52"S | 32°23'24.04"E | Channelled valley bottom | WS | × | ||
5 | 28°17'55.76"S | 32°23'10.62"E | River (riparian zone) | WS | × | ||
6 | 28°15'26.06"S | 32°23'36.51"E | Depression | WS | × | × | × |
7 | 28°15'11.10"S | 32°23'39.95"E | Depression | WS | × | × | × |
8 | 28°12'25.44"S | 32°24'22.97"E | Depression (artificial) | WS | × | ||
9 | 28°15'19.19"S | 32°23'38.53"E | Depression | WS | × | ||
10 | 28°17'19.08"S | 32°23'16.53"E | Depression | WS | × | ||
11 | 28°18'31.52"S | 32°26'54.54"E | Un-channelled valley bottom | ES | × | ||
12 | 28°17'00.81"S | 32°27'43.78"E | Depression | ES | × | ||
13 | 28°16'6.26"S | 32°28'00.02"E | Depression | ES | × | × | |
14 | 28°16'10.26"S | 32°27'35.43"E | Depression | ES | × | × | |
15 | 28°18'25.29"S | 32°26'59.88"E | Un-channelled valley bottom | ES | × | ||
16 | 28°14'15.05"S | 32°24'32.30"E | Depression | WS | × | ||
17 | 28°15'1.00"S | 32°24'9.85"E | Channelled valley bottom | WS | × | ||
18 | 28°17'44.59"S | 32°22'58.49"E | Flat | WS | × | ||
19 | 28°07'10.99"S | 32°31'8.98"E | Un-channelled valley bottom | ES | × | ||
20 | 28°12'21.75"S | 32°29'27.07"E | River (main channel) | ES | × | ||
21 | 28°20'59.06"S | 32°25'50.76"E | Depression | ES | × | ||
22 | 28°18'59.92"S | 32°26'10.64"E | Depression | ES | × | ||
23 | 28°20'7.84"S | 32°26'10.36"E | Depression | ES | × | ||
24 | 28°22'44.46"S | 32°25'20.13"E | River (connected to estuary) | ES | × | ||
25 | 28°21'59.12"S | 32°25'42.10"E | Depression | ES | × | ||
26 | 27°58'32.33"S | 32°21'51.14"E | Depression | FB | × | ||
27 | 27°57'31.50"S | 32°21'41.82"E | Depression | FB | × | × | |
28 | 27°58'25.01"S | 32°22'16.02"E | Channelled valley bottom | FB | × | ||
29 | 28°00'51.44"S | 32°21'54.93"E | Channelled valley bottom | FB | × | × | |
30 | 28°00'47.95"S | 32°22'00.92"E | Estuarine lake | FB | × | × | |
31 | 28°02'9.17"S | 32°21'42.78"E | Estuarine lake shore (light trap) | FB | × | × | × |
32 | 28°13'14.56"S | 32°29'12.45"E | Seep | ES | × |
Beetle collection efforts primarily involved the use of a long-handled square-framed sweep net (30 cm mouth and 1 mm mesh), following a sweep protocol similar to that of
A range of in situ physico-chemical parameters were measured at each site. Salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity were recorded using a YSI 6600-V2 multi-system probe. Due to technical problems, physico-chemical measurements were not taken during November 2013.
Aquatic Polyphaga collections housed in the major South African museums, namely the Iziko South African Museum (ISAM, Cape Town), the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (
Species identification was undertaken with reference to museum material and the most recent literature available on the specific taxa. Characteristics of male genitalia were generally used as the key criterion for species identification and separation. Digital photographs of the dorsal habitus of each species were taken using a EOS 600D digital camera fitted to a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG macro lens for larger specimens (≥ 1.5 cm) and a Leica Z6 APO for smaller specimens (< 1.5 cm). Image stacks were produced by hand, and combined using Zerene Stacker software (www.zerenesystems.com). To facilitate future identification and monitoring exercises, an annotated and illustrated list was compiled of all species identified in the preliminary collections of 2008-2012 and during the three dedicated surveys conducted in November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015 (Appendix
Multivariate techniques were used to analyse spatial trends in the composition of polyphagan beetle assemblages at St Lucia. Beetle data were converted to presence-absence and assemblage similarity amongst sites was analysed using the Bray-Curtis coefficient. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to depict beetle assemblages at St Lucia on a two-dimensional plot. Differences in beetle assemblage composition across the regions of St Lucia (Eastern Shores, Western Shores and False Bay) and waterbody types (excluding seeps and flats as only one of each was sampled) were tested using non-parametric permutational MANOVA (PERMANOVA,
Multidimensional scaling was performed using PRIMER v6 software (
The sites sampled during this survey reflect the relative abundance of the various waterbody types encountered on the St Lucia coastal plain, with groundwater-fed depressions and valley bottom wetlands predominating, although several small rivers, a wetland flat and a seep were also sampled, in addition to the estuarine lake itself. Freshwater wetlands around Lake St Lucia were mostly small (< 2 ha), shallow (< 1 m maximum depth) and extensively vegetated. Further details on the physico-chemistry of the waterbodies sampled at St Lucia are provided by
A total of 37 taxa of aquatic Polyphaga were collected during the three dedicated surveys of the current study (2013–2015), which are listed in Table
Polyphagan beetles collected from St Lucia during the course of this study. The sites are listed from which each taxon was collected on each of the three sampling trips. Site numbers 1 – 32 correspond to those listed in Table
Taxon | Sampling date | Region | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nov 2013 | Jul 2014 | Jan/Feb 2015 | WS | ES | FB | |
Hydrochidae: | ||||||
Hydrochus sp. 1 | 2, 3, 5, 13, 14, 15 | 6, 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 27, 32 | × | × | × | |
Hydrochus sp. 2 | 6, 14, 17, 19, 27, 32 | × | × | × | ||
Hydrochus sp. 3 | 18 | × | ||||
Spercheidae: | ||||||
Spercheus cerisyi Guérin-Méneville, 1842 | 6, 7, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, 27 | × | × | × | ||
Spercheus senegalensis Castelnau, 1832 | 6, 14, 17, 18, 20, 25, 27 | × | × | × | ||
Hydrophilidae: | ||||||
Amphiops globus Erichson, 1843 | 1, 20, 27 | × | × | × | ||
Amphiops senegalensis (Laporte, 1840) | 15 | 1, 7, 14, 16, 22, 23, 25, 27 | × | × | × | |
Amphiops uhligi Hebauer, 1995 | 14 | × | ||||
Allocotocerus sp. | 27 | 10 | 6, 14, 18, 23, 27, 29 | × | × | × |
Berosus cuspidatus Erichson, 1843 | 6, 7, 14, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 31, 32 | × | × | × | ||
Berosus viticollis Boheman, 1851 | 7, 29, 30 | × | × | |||
Regimbartia nilotica (Sharp, 1903) | 27 | 6, 14, 18, 21, 27, 29 | × | × | × | |
Regimbartia obsoleta (Régimbart, 1906) | 14, 18, 22, 27, 29 | × | × | × | ||
Laccobius uhligi Gentili, 1995 | 32 | × | ||||
+ Paracymus amplus Wooldridge, 1977 | 21 | × | ||||
Paracymus exiguus Wooldridge, 1977 | 7, 13, 18, 21, 29 | × | × | × | ||
Paracymus pisanus Balfour-Browne, 1954 | 7, 13, 14, 18, 21, 25, 27, 29, 32 | × | × | × | ||
*+Hydrobiomorpha perissinottoi Bilton, 2016 | 16, 18, 22, 29 | × | × | × | ||
Hydrochara elliptica (Fabricius, 1801) | 31 | × | ||||
Hydrochara fulvofemorata (Fairmaire, 1869) | 30 | 6, 16, 17, 26, 27, 29, 31 | × | × | ||
Hydrophilus aculeatus (Solier, 1834) | 31 | 10 | 14, 31 | × | × | × |
Sternolophus solieri Laporte, 1840 | 30 | 14, 17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 24, 27, 31 | × | × | × | |
Enochrus (Methydrus) sp. | 30 | 1, 4, 5 | 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 27, 28, 29, 32 | × | × | × |
Chasmogenus cf. patrizii (Balfour-Browne, 1948) | 14, 23, 27, 29 | × | × | |||
Helochares dilutus (Erichson, 1843) | 10 | 6, 21, 24, 27, 28, 29, 31 | × | × | × | |
Helochares longipalpis (Murray, 1859) | 11 | 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 27, 29, 31, 32 | × | × | × | |
Helochares sp. 1 | 12 | 27 | × | × | ||
Helochares sp. 2 | 3, 4, 5, 15 | 1, 6, 7, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 31 | × | × | × | |
Coelostoma sp. 1 | 14, 20, 23, 27, 31, 32 | × | × | |||
Coelostoma sp. 2 | 29, 30 | 1, 10 | 18, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32 | × | × | × |
Coelostoma sp. 3 | 22, 23 | × | ||||
Cercyon dieganus Régimbart, 1903 | 1, 14, 16, 22, 23, 27, 28, 31 | × | × | × | ||
Hydraenidae: | ||||||
Hydraena cooperi Balfour-Browne, 1954 | 14, 17, 21, 22, 25, 29, 32 | × | × | × | ||
+ Limnebius probus Perkins, 2015 | 27, 29 | × | ||||
Aulachochthebius cf. continentalis (Orchymont, 1929) | 21, 27, 29, 32 | × | × | |||
Ochthebius andronicus Orchymont, 1948 | 21, 29 | × | × | |||
Curculionidae: | ||||||
Pseudobagous cf. longulus (Gyllenhal, 1836) | 13, 14 | 29 | × | × |
Polyphagan beetles were generally widespread across a number of waterbodies, with 21 of the 37 species being collected from five or more sites (Table
Polyphagan taxa collected from St Lucia and surroundings prior to the current survey are listed in Table
Aquatic polyphagan beetles previously recorded from the Lake St Lucia system and surrounding waterbodies. Literature sources are indicated by letters as follows: (a)
Family | Genus | Species | Publication | Years recorded | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hydrochidae | Hydrochus Leach, 1817 | Hydrochus spp. 1–4 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW |
Spercheidae | Spercheus Illiger, 1798 | S. cerisyi* | SANC | Not specified | D |
S. senegalensis* | SANC | Not specified | SL, D | ||
Hydrophilidae | Allocotocerus Kraatz, 1883 | Allocotocerus sp. | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW |
Amphiops Erichson, 1843 | A. senegalensis* | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | |
Amphiops spp. 1–2 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Anacaena Thomson, 1859 | Anacaena sp. | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | |
Berosus Leach, 1817 | B. cuspidatus* | (a), (b) | 1948 | FB | |
|
1960 | SL | |||
Berosus spp. 1–3 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Coelostoma Brullé, 1835 | C. rufitarse (Boheman, 1851) | (a), (b) | 1948 | FB | |
Coelostoma spp. 1–4 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Dactylosternum Wollaston, 1854 | Dactylosternum sp. | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | |
Enochrus Thomson, 1859 | Enochrus spp. 1–4 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | |
Helochares Mulsant, 1844 | H. dilutus* | SANC | Not specified | SL, D | |
H. longipalpis* | SANC | Not specified | SL, D | ||
Helochares spp. 1–4 | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Hydrochara Berthold, 1827 | H. elliptica* | UKZN | 2012 | DP | |
Regimbartia Zaitzev, 1908 | Regimbartia sp. | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | |
Hydrophilidae | Sternolophus Solier, 1834 | S. solieri* | UKZN | 2008 | FB |
S. angolensis (Erichson, 1843) | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Sternolophus sp. | (c) | 2002/2003 | FWW | ||
Hydrophilus Geoffroy, 1762 | H. aculeatus* | SANC | Not specified | D, SL | |
Hydrophilidae | Hydrophilus Geoffroy, 1762 | H. senegalensis (Percheron 1835) | UKZN | 2012 | FB |
Hydrophilus sp. | ISAM | 1988 | KB | ||
Chasmogenus Sharp, 1882 | C. lycetus (d’Orchymont, 1939) | SANC | Not specified | SL | |
C. patrizii* | SANC | Not specified | SL | ||
Hydraenidae | Hydraena Kugelann, 1794 | H. cooperi* | (d) | 1997 | |
Scirtidae | Cyphon Paykull, 1799 | Cyphon sp. |
|
Not specified | SL, DF, KB |
Scirtes Illiger, 1807 | Scirtes sp. |
|
Not specified | SL, KB | |
Ora Clark, 1865 | Ora sp. |
|
Not specified | SL | |
Heteroceridae | Augyles Schiödte, 1866 | A. pallens (Charpentier, 1965) | SANC | Not specified | D |
Heterocerus Fabricius, 1792 | H. atroincertus Charpentier, 1965 | SANC | Not specified | SL | |
H. thebaicus australis Charpentier, 1965 | SANC | Not specified | D | ||
Curculionidae | Pseudobagous Sharp, 1917 | P. longulus* | SANC | Not specified | D |
The composition of polyphagan beetle assemblages was similar between the Western and Eastern Shores of St Lucia, as reflected by the high degree of overlap of sites from these two regions in the MDS plot (Fig.
Non-parametric permutational MANOVA (PERMANOVA) results for models comparing beetle assemblage composition. Assemblage composition at St Lucia was compared across (a) regions, and (b) waterbody types. The multivariate models tested for differences between group centroids in Bray-Curtis dissimilarity space. Pairwise comparisons are reported in the case of (a), where overall test results were significant. WS – Western Shores; FB – False Bay; ES – Eastern Shores.
(a) | Post hoc pairwise comparisons | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Source | df | SS | MS | F | P | Groups | t | P |
Region | 2 | 13006 | 6502.9 | 1.9978 | 0.012* | WS, FB | 1.5753 | 0.019* |
Residual | 30 | 100910 | 3255.1 | WS, ES | 0.85389 | 0.689 | ||
Total | 32 | 113910 | FB, ES | 1.7283 | 0.002* | |||
(b) | ||||||||
Source | df | SS | MS | F | P | |||
Waterbody type | 3 | 13102 | 4367.4 | 1.2997 | 0.144 | |||
Residual | 29 | 100810 | 3360.4 | |||||
Total | 32 | 113910 |
Multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot depicting the similarity of sites sampled in this study in terms of beetle assemblage composition. Symbols on the plot have been coded in terms of (a) region and (b) waterbody type. Convex hulls (dashed lines) have been overlaid on each plot to clarify groupings according to region/waterbody type.
Kruskal-Wallis tests showed that polyphagan beetle richness did not differ significantly between the three regions of St Lucia (KW-H2, 37 = 0.9006, p = 0.6374) or between waterbody types (KW-H5, 37 = 4.2675, p = 0.5116). Mean richness across all sites and sampling trips was 6.4±5.9 (SD) species per site, the high standard deviation reflecting large variation in the number of species recorded per site. The boxplots in Fig.
Box-plots comparing the median and spread of species richness (number of polyphagan taxa per site) among (a) regions and (b) waterbody types at St Lucia during the sampling period 2013–2015. The data representing number of taxa per site are also reported (c). Site numbers in (c) are coded as A (first survey–November 2013), B (second survey–July 2014) or C (third survey–January/February 2015). Kruskal-Wallis tests indicated that species richness did not vary significantly among regions (KW-H2, 37 = 0.9006, p = 0.6374) or waterbody types (KW-H5, 37 = 4.2675, p = 0.5116).
The dedicated surveys of the St Lucia coastal plain between 2013 and 2015 have revealed 37 aquatic polyphagan species, which predominantly reside in the small freshwater wetlands surrounding the main lake body. Given that ca. 360 species of aquatic Polyphaga have been listed for southern Africa (
The number of Polyphaga collected at St Lucia represents approximately half the richness of hydradephagan beetles (68 taxa) reported from the same set of waterbodies by
The St Lucia Polyphaga were generally dominated by widespread Afrotropical taxa, with only two endemic South African species being recorded (Paracymus amplus Wooldridge, 1977 and Limnebius probus Perkins, 2015). A similar pattern (dominance of widespread taxa) is apparent at St Lucia for other invertebrate groups such as the hydradephagan beetles (
In terms of the distribution of species within St Lucia, only five taxa (Berosus viticollis Boheman, 1851, Enochrus (Methydrus) sp., Hydrochara fulvofemorata, Sternolophus solieri Laporte, 1840 and Coelostoma sp. 2) were recorded from the margins of the lake body itself, and most taxa were instead found only in surrounding freshwater wetlands. Twelve taxa were taken with a light trap set up near the lake shore (sites 31A and 31C in November 2013 and February 2015 respectively), which captured flying adults that most likely were dispersing, perhaps from the nearby lake body. Polyphagan beetles formed a relatively distinct assemblage at False Bay, whilst the Western and Eastern Shores harbored very similar assemblages (Fig.
Polyphagan beetle assemblage composition did not differ between waterbody types (Fig.
The majority of prior aquatic research within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park has focused on the estuarine lake itself, rather than the surrounding freshwater wetlands. Our study adds evidence in addition to that of
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife are thanked for providing permits and logistical support for this study. We are very grateful to Stephanie Martin, Ricky Taylor, Lynette Clennell, Jacqueline Raw, Nasreen Peer and Nelson Miranda for assisting with field collections. Simon van Noort (ISAM, Cape Town), Ruth Müller (
Annotated and illustrated checklist of the Polyphaga of the Lake St Lucia system, 2013–2015.
The following list includes photographs of all species recorded during the dedicated water beetle surveys conducted by the authors during the period 2013 to 2015.
The Afrotropical species of this genus are in need of revision.
Range unknown. Afrotropical.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded in fresh water wetlands by
The Afrotropical species of this genus are in need of revision.
Range unknown. Afrotropical.
The Afrotropical species of this genus are in need of revision.
Range unknown. Afrotropical.
Recorded at Western Shores in January/February 2015. Previously recorded in fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
Spercheus crenaticollis Régimbart, 1906, Sphercheus [!] capicola Péringuey, 1829, Spercheus cerisyi var. diminutus Hebauer, 1997
Ponds and other lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa and Madagascar; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt, Iraq and Israel.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in January/February 2015. Previously recorded at Dukandlovu by SANC – years not specified.
Spercheus sulcatus Gory, 1834, Sphercheus [!] algoensis Péringuey, 1892, Spercheus distinguendus Fairmaire, 1893.
Ponds and other lentic waterbodies rich in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa and Madagascar; apparently reaching the Palaearctic in Turkey.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in January/February 2015. Previously recorded at St Lucia and Dukandlovu by SANC – years not specified.
Ponds and other lentic waterbodies.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa. Also reported from China.
Amphiops lucidus Erichson, 1843, Cyprimorphus compressus Fairmaire, 1873, Amphiops Abeillei Guillebeau, 1896, Amphiops lucidus var. abeillei Guillebeau, 1896, Amphiops lasioides Régimbart, 1903.
Ponds and other lentic waterbodies.
Widespread to Western, Central, Northern and Eastern Africa; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt and Morocco.
Found in dense vegetation in a small wetland at St Lucia.
Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. New record for South Africa.
Species-level identification requires comparison with types.
Range unknown.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
Berosus bispinosus Boheman, 1851, Berosus acutispina Fairmaire, 1869, Berosus cuspidatus ssp. acutispina Fairmaire, 1869, Berosus gracilispina Régimbart, 1906.
Ponds and lagoons, particularly with exposed substrate and some mineralisation/salinity.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa and Madagascar and the Seychelles; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in January/February 2015. Previously recorded at False Bay by
Lentic waters, particularly with exposed substrates.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa and Madagascar.
Volvulus compressus Régimbart, 1906, Regimbartia compressa (Régimbart, 1906).
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa.
Seepages over peat beside lagoon at St Lucia.
Namibia (Caprivi Strip) and Botswana (Okavango). New record for South Africa.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
A species currently only known from South Africa.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Described from Zimbabwe. New record for South Africa.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.
A new species, first detected during this survey. Most close morphologically to H. occidentalis Balfour-Browne, 1939 from Nigeria and Sudan.
Currently only recorded from St Lucia – wider distribution unknown.
Hydrochares ellipticus (Fabricius, 1801), Hydrous uniformis Fairmaire, 1869, Hydrophilus fulvo-femorata var. uniformis (Fairmaire, 1869).
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to western, central and eastern Africa and Madagascar.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Mozambique to Eastern Africa and Madagascar. New record for South Africa, first reported by
Hydrophilus spinipennis Gory, 1834, Hydrophilus armatus Castelnau, 1840, Hydrophilus lugubris Motschulsky, 1845, Hydrophilus aegyptiacus Peyron, 1856.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa, the Mascarenes and Arabia; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt, Iran, Israel, Syria and Turkey.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at False Bay by the authors and deposited at UNKZ in 2012.
Sternolophus rufipes Solier, 1834, Helobius noticollis Mulsant, 1851, Hydrous aeratus Reiche & Saulcy, 1854, Hydrous graecus Baudi, 1864, Sternolophus punctatulus Schaufuss, 1883.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa, Madagascar, the Cape Verdes, the Comoros; reaching the Palaearctic in Algeria, Egypt, Greece and Israel.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in November 2013 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at False Bay by the authors and deposited at UKZN in 2008.
Lentic waters, in vegetation. African fauna requires revision.
Unknown.
Lentic waters, in vegetation. African fauna requires revision before certain identification can be reached.
Widespread to Central and Eastern Africa.
Helochares niloticus Sharp, 1903.
Lentic waters, in vegetation. Records from South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar and the Mascarenes have been referred to ssp. consputus Boheman, 1851.
Widespread to Western, Central and Eastern Africa and Madagascar.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at St Lucia and Dukandlovu by SANC – years not specified.
Lentic waters, in vegetation.
Widespread to Western, central and Eastern Africa; reaching the Palaearctic in Egypt and Israel.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at St Lucia and Dukandlovu by SANC – years not specified.
Lentic waters, in vegetation. The African Helochares fauna requires a thorough revision.
Unknown.
Recorded at Eastern Shores and False Bay in July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
Lentic waters, in vegetation. The African Helochares fauna requires a thorough revision.
Unknown.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
The African fauna of this genus requires revision.
Unknown.
Recorded at Eastern Shores and False Bay in January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
The African fauna of this genus requires revision.
Unknown.
Recorded at Western Shores, Eastern Shores and False Bay in November 2013, July 2014 and January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
The African fauna of this genus requires revision.
Unknown.
Recorded at Eastern Shores in January/February 2015. Previously recorded at fresh water wetlands on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia by
In wet decaying vegetable debris in the margins of lentic waterbodies.
Widespread in Afrotropical Region, including Madagascar.
Shallow margins of lentic and lotic waters.
Widespread in South Africa and also recorded from Angola and Namibia.
Pond margins.
Eastern South Africa. Species recently described, but so far only known from South Africa.
Pond margins. Afrotropical species of the genus currently in revision (Perkins, pers. comm.).
Kenya. Most likely new to South Africa, regardless of species.
Pond margins.
Widespread in Southern and Eastern Africa.
In vegetation in lentic waterbodies.
Widespread in Southern Africa.