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Corresponding author: Charlene Janion–Scheepers ( charlene.janionscheepers@monash.edu ) Academic editor: Wanda M. Weiner
© 2015 Charlene Janion–Scheepers, Louis Deharveng, Anne Bedos, Steven Chown.
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:
Janion-Scheepers C, Deharveng L, Bedos A, Chown SL (2015) Updated list of Collembola species currently recorded from South Africa. ZooKeys 503: 55-88. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.503.8966
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Understanding the abundance and richness of species is one of the most fundamental steps in effecting their conservation. Despite global recognition of the significance of the below-ground component of diversity for ecosystem functioning, the soil remains a poorly studied terrestrial ecosystem. In South Africa, knowledge is increasing for a variety of soil faunal groups, but many still remain poorly understood. We have started to address this gap in the knowledge of South African soil biodiversity by focusing on the Collembola in an integrated project that encompasses systematics, barcoding and ecological assessments. Here we provide an updated list of the Collembola species from South Africa. A total of 124 species from 61 genera and 17 families has been recorded, of which 75 are considered endemic, 24 widespread, and 25 introduced. This total number of species excludes the 36 species we consider to be dubious. From the published data, Collembola species richness is high compared to other African countries, but low compared to European countries. This is largely a consequence of poor sampling in the African region, as our discovery of many new species in South Africa demonstrates. Our analyses also show that much ongoing work will be required before a reasonably comprehensive and spatially explicit picture of South Africa’s springtail fauna can be provided, which may well exceed 1000 species. Such work will be necessary to help South Africa meet its commitments to biodiversity conservation, especially in the context of the 2020 Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Biodiversity, endemicity, soil fauna, introduced species, taxonomy
The documentation of biodiversity is an essential first step for its conservation. A major barrier to so doing for invertebrates is a lack of taxonomic information on various groups. This taxonomic impediment and its implications for biodiversity studies have been widely discussed (
This situation is as true for southern Africa as it is elsewhere. Knowledge of the South African fauna is increasing rapidly, especially in the case of a wide range of invertebrate groups (
Collembola are amongst the most widespread and abundant soil arthropods (
The first attempt to collate all taxonomic information on the Collembola of South Africa was undertaken by
To address this substantial gap in the knowledge of soil biodiversity, a collaborative project was established in 2008 (
All publications on Collembola species described or recorded from South Africa were collated from
The species were also divided into the following categories based on their distribution: 1) endemic if they were described from South Africa and have not been recorded elsewhere, 2) introduced if there is evidence from the literature that the species was introduced from another place, 3) widespread if the species is also present outside of South Africa but its origin is unknown, thus not considered introduced, or 4) dubious, when the species name given in the literature is considered a misidentification based on current taxonomic knowledge or if subsequent taxonomic work suggested this is the case (see Suppl. material
To make an estimate of expected species richness, we used data collected from extensive sampling in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, which has been the main focus of much work on the group. The dataset comprises a total of 217 samples we obtained using several sampling techniques (see below) in as many localities and different microhabitats as possible throughout the Western Cape, including Afromontane forest, different fynbos vegetation types (see
Sampled-based rarefaction curves were plotted to estimate the number of species for the Western Cape, using Chao1 and Jacknife 2 in EstimateS V8.2.0 (
According to the literature, a total of 160 species from 61 genera and 17 families have been recorded from South Africa (Table
A summary of the Collembola species recorded from South Africa based on the literature.
Number of species recorded from literature | Number of species accepted from literature | Introduced | Endemic | Widespread | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PODUROMORPHA | |||||
Hypogastruridae | 19 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
Brachystomellidae | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
Neanuridae | 16 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
Odontellidae | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Onychiuridae | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Tullbergiidae | 8 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
TOTAL | 57 | 42 | 8 | 25 | 9 |
ENTOMOBRYOMORPHA | |||||
Isotomidae | 23 | 19 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
Entomobryidae | 49 | 36 | 8 | 25 | 3 |
Cyphoderidae | 10 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
Paronellidae | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Tomoceridae | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
TOTAL | 84 | 66 | 13 | 42 | 11 |
NEELIPLEONA | |||||
Neelidae | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
TOTAL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
SYMPHYPLEONA | |||||
Sminthurididae | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Katiannidae | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Dicyrtomidae | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Bourletiellidae | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Sminthuridae | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
TOTAL | 18 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
TOTAL | 160 | 124 | 25 | 75 | 24 |
The sample-based species rarefaction curve for the Western Cape did not reach an asymptote (Fig.
Collembola species recorded from South Africa, with “Current species name” as confirmed name (
Current species name | Source | Province recorded from in SA | Status | Habitat if given in source | Name published in source if different from the current one | Comments |
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PODUROMORPHA | ||||||
Hypogastruridae | ||||||
Acherontiella thibaudi Barra, 1994 |
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KZN | W | Beach sand | South Africa and several tropical regions of East Africa and Southeast Asia ( |
|
Austrogastrura lobata (Yosii, 1959) |
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WC | E | Choreutinula lobata Yosii, 1959 | ||
Ceratophysella armata (Nicolet, 1842) |
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WC, KZN, EC, FS, G, NC | D | Damp soil, moss, litter | Hypogastrura armata Nicolet, 1842 | Western palaearctic distribution. |
Ceratophysella armata trispina (Womersley, 1934) |
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WC | D | Hypogastrura armata var. trispina Womersley, 1934 | Described from a single specimen with three anal spines, could also have been Triacanthella sp. | |
Ceratophysella longispina (Tullberg, 1876) |
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NC, KZN, | D | Hypogastrura longispina Tullberg, 1876 | Northern hemisphere circumpolar distribution (Fjellberg 1998) | |
Hypogastrura manubrialis (Tullberg, 1876) |
|
NC, KZN, WC | I | Wet habitat | Distributed worldwide, considered introduced in the Southern hemisphere | |
Hypogastrura manubrialis neglectus (Börner, 1901) |
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WC | D | Hypogastrura manubrialis var. neglectus (Börner, 1901) | Dubious: lacks two anal spines, no more information provided. | |
Hypogastrura purpurescens (Lubbock, 1868) |
|
WC | I | Wet leaves |
Hypogastrura pseudopurpurascens Womersley, 1928 in Hypogastrura (Hypogastrura) purpurescens (Lubbock, 1868) in |
The species can be considered as introduced from Northern hemisphere, as has recently been confirmed for Australia ( |
Hypogastrura sahlbergi (Reuter, 1895) |
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WC | D | Near stream | Dubious record: holarctic distribution ( |
|
Hypogastrura sahlbergi rosea (Reuter, 1895) |
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WC | D | Damp rocks | Hypogastrura sahlbergi var. rosea (Reuter, 1895) | Agrees with sahlbergi s. str. except for colour. Species inquirenda. |
Hypogastrura viatica (Tullberg, 1872) |
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WC | I | Littoral | Nordic countries and Arctic, considered introduced in southern hemisphere ( |
|
Mesogastura libyca (Caroli, 1914) |
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WC | D | Forest litter | Choreutinula libyca Caroli, 1914 | Probably Austrogastrura lobata (Yosii, 1959), present in the same locality. |
Triacanthella madiba Janion, D’Haese & Deharveng, 2012 |
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WC | E | Cave guano | ||
Willemia trilobata Barra, 1995 |
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KZN | E | Beach sand | ||
Xenylla capensis Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Xenylla maritima Tullberg, 1869 |
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WC, EC, KZN, NWP | I | Wet habitat, forest | Cosmopolitan distribution (Fjellberg 1998), probably introduced in the Southern hemisphere | |
Xenylla rhodesiensis Womersley, 1929 |
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MP | E | Wet habitat | ||
Xenylla schillei Börner, 1903 |
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Les | D | At stream | Only recorded from Europe, while the collection locality in South Africa is very isolated and at a high altitude | |
Xenylla yucatana Mills, 1938 |
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KZN | W | Forest soil | Pan-tropical distribution ( |
|
Brachystomellidae | ||||||
Brachystomella africana Yosii, 1959 |
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WC | E | Brachystomella parvula africana Yosii, 1959 | ||
Brachystomella coatesi Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Brachystomella georgensis Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Brachystomella parvula (Schäffer, 1896) |
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MP, WC, KZN, EC, FS | I | Wet litter | Cosmopolitan distribution (Fjellberg 1998) | |
Probrachystomellides nicolaii Weiner & Najt, 1991* |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Setanodosa capitata (Womersley, 1934) |
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WC | E | Brachystomella capitata Womersley, 1934 | ||
Neanuridae | ||||||
Aethiopella capensis (Womersley, 1934) |
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WC, KZN | E | Stony stream | Ceratrimeria flavoantennatus var. capensis Womersley, 1934 | |
Aethiopella handschini (Denis, 1924) |
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Les, WC | D | Under stone, litter | Described and previously only known from Ethiopia ( |
|
Anurida maritima (Guérin-Méneville, 1836) |
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WC, KZN | W | Littoral | Cosmopolitan distribution (Fjellberg 1998) | |
Ectonura barrai Janion, Bedos & Deharveng, 2011 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Ectonura coatesi Barra, 1994 |
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KZN | E | Litter on dunes | ||
Ectonura monochaeta Janion, Bedos & Deharveng, 2011 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Ectonura natalensis (Womersley, 934) |
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KZN, WC, EC | E | Litter |
Achorutes natalensis Womersley, 1934 Neanura natalensis (Womersley, 1934) |
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Ectonura oribiensis (Coates, 1968) | Coates 1968 | KZN | E | Soil, litter | Neanura oribiensis Coates, 1968 | |
Friesea claviseta Axelson, 1900 |
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KZN, WC | I | Litter | Cosmopolitan, possibly introduced in the southern hemisphere | |
Friesea versabilis Barra, 1995 |
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KZN | W | Under vegetation | Recorded from South Africa and Madagascar ( |
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Najtafrica riebi (Barra, 1994)* |
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KZN | E | Dune litter | Stachorutes riebi Barra, 1994 | |
Neanura muscorum (Templeton, 1835) |
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EC | I | Litter | Sub-cosmopolitan, introduced in the southern hemisphere. All other species of the genus are in Europe. | |
Pseudachorutella africana Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Pseudachorutes alluaudi (Delamare Deboutteville, 1946) |
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KZN | W | Forest leaf litter | Ceratrimeria alluaudi Delamare Deboutteville, 1946 | Described and only known so far from Eastern Africa ( |
Pseudachorutes univesicatus Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Vitronura joanna (Coates, 1968) |
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NWP | E | Soil | Neanura joanna Coates, 1968 | |
Odontellidae | ||||||
Odontella sylvatica Weiner & Najt, 1991 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Odontellina deharvengi Barra, 1995 |
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KZN | W | Soil | Recorded from South Africa and Madagascar ( |
|
Superodontella empodialis (Stach, 1934) |
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KZN | D | Odontella empodialis Stach, 1934 | Dubious identification, European distribution | |
Onychiuridae | ||||||
Deuteraphorura inermis (Tullberg, 1869) |
|
WC | D | Under stones |
Onychiurus fimetarius (Linné, Lubbock) (sic) in Onychiurus pseudinermis Börner, Börner 1903 in |
Given the confusion around the species fimetarius, inermis and pseudinermis, and the age of the specimen slides, the identification given by authors (following |
Orthonychiurus camerunensis (Schött, 1926) |
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G | D | Soil | Onychiurus camerunensis Schött, 1926 | The Schött description is insufficient to recognize the species. |
Orthonychiurus saasveldensis (Weiner & Najt, 1991) |
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WC | E | Forest, on bark | Onychiurus saasveldensis Weiner & Najt, 1991 | |
Protaphorura armata (Tullberg, 1869) |
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? | D | Onychiurus armatus | A holarctic distribution. Southern records of Protaphorura are usually Thalassaphorura species, or possible introductions. | |
Protaphorura matsumotoi (Kinoshita, 1923) |
|
FS | D | Soil | Onychiurus matsumotoi Kinoshita, 1923 | A species inquirenda after |
Tullbergiidae | ||||||
Delamarephorura capensis Janion, Weiner & Deharveng, 2013 |
|
WC | E | Soil | ||
Delamarephorura szeptyckii Barra & Weiner, 2009 |
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EC | E | Dry grassland | ||
Fissuraphorura miscellanea Barra, 1995 |
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KZN | E | Soil | ||
Mesaphorura krausbaueri (Börner, 1901) |
|
WC, EC, FS | D | Soil, under stones | Tullbergia krausbaueri Börner, 1901 | Dubious identification, most Mesaphorura have been identified as M. krausbaueri before the split of this species by |
Mesaphorura yosii (Rusek, 1967) |
|
KZN | W | Cosmopolitan distribution | ||
Paratullbergia callipygos (Börner, 1902) |
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WC | I | Tullbergia callipygos Börner, 1902 | Holarctic distribution | |
Tullbergia meridionalis Cassagnau & Rapoport, 1962 |
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KZN | W | Dune sand | Described from Argentina and later recorded from South Africa. | |
Tullbergia kilimanjarica (Delamare Deboutteville, 1953) |
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WC, KZN, MP | W | Forest leaf litter, garden soil | Mesaphorura kilimanjarica Delamare Deboutteville, 1953 | Described from Tanzania and later recorded from South Africa. |
ENTOMOBRYOMORPHA | ||||||
Isotomidae | ||||||
Archisotoma sabulosa Barra, 1997 |
|
KZN | E | Littoral dune sand | ||
Arlea tridens Barra, 1997 |
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KZN | E | Dune litter | ||
Ballistura schoetti (Dalla Torre, 1895) |
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WC, EC | I | Vegetation, rain pools |
Proisotoma schoetti (Dalla Torre, 1895) in |
Cosmopolitan distribution |
Clavisotoma africana (Womersley, 1934) |
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WC | E | Wet leaves, rain pools | Proisotoma africana (Womersley, 1934) | |
Folsomides americanus Denis, 1931 |
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KZN | W | From dry leaves | Cosmopolitan distribution | |
Folsomina onychiurina Denis, 1931 |
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KZN | W | Pantropical distribution | ||
Hemisotoma thermophila (Axelson, 1900) |
|
KZN, WC | W | Under rotting leaves |
Isotoma bituberculata Wahlgren, 1906 in Isotomina thermophila (Axelson, 1900) in |
Cosmopolitan distribution. Isotoma bituberculata is proposed as a synonym of either Hemisotoma thermophila or H. orientalis (Stach, 1947) in |
Isotoma finitima Scherbakov, 1899 |
|
KZN | D | Sorensia finitima (Scherbakov, 1899) | The species is described without PAO, but body pigment is present; as such, it does not fit any known genus ( |
|
Isotoma mauretanica Handschin, 1926 |
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WC | D |
Species inquirenda. |
||
Isotomiella sodwana Barra, 1997 |
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KZN | E | Litter and humus on sand dunes | ||
Isotomodes productus (Axelson, 1906) |
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WC | I | Under stones | Subcosmopolitan, records from southern hemisphere scattered. | |
Isotomurus balteatus (Reuter, 1876) |
|
WC | D | Isotomurus palustris var. balteata (Reuter, 1876). | I. balteatus is a species of Europe recognizable by its transversal stripes on tergites. We have seen such a colour pattern in South African Isotomidae of an undetermined genus which is not Isotomurus. The record of this species for South Africa is therefore dubious. | |
Isotomurus palustris (Müller, 1776) |
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WC, EC, G, KZN | I | Specimens of Isotoma mauretanica Handschin, 1926 recorded in |
||
Isotomurus tricuspis Börner, 1906 |
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WC | D | Damp moss | Specimens of Isotomurus palustris var. balteata cited by |
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Micranurophorus musci Bernard, 1977 |
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KZN | W | Humid sand 20 cm under pioneer vegetation | Subcosmopolitan interstitial species. | |
Mucrosomia caeca (Wahlgren, 1906) |
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KZN, WC | W | From wet debris | Cryptopygus caecus Wahlgren, 1906 | Current name after |
Parisotoma mossopi (Womersley, 1934) |
|
FS | E | From soil containing organic material | Isotoma notabilis ssp. mossopi Womersley, 1934 | |
Parisotoma notabilis (Schäffer, 1896) |
|
WC | I | Wet leaves, leaf litter, |
Isotoma notabilis Schäffer, 1896 in |
|
Parisotoma obscurocellata Potapov, Janion & Deharveng, 2011 |
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WC | E | Litter under plants, coastal | ||
Parisotoma sexsetosa Potapov, Janion & Deharveng, 2011 |
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WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Pauropygus caussaneli (Thibaud, 1996) |
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KZN | W | Littoral sand | Cryptopygus riebi Barra, 1997 | Synonymy after |
Proisotoma davidi Barra, 2001 |
|
EC | E | Grassland soil | ||
Proisotoma minuta (Tullberg, 1871) |
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WC, KZN, FS, EC | I | Litter | Cosmopolitan species. | |
Entomobryidae | ||||||
Capbrya marshalli Barra, 1999* |
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EC | E | Grassland | ||
Capbrya themeda Barra, 1999* |
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EC | E | Grassland | ||
Coecobrya caeca (Schött, 1896) |
|
WC | D | In cave | Sinella coeca (Schött, 1896) |
C. coeca is restricted to northern America according to |
Coecobrya hoefti (Schäffer, 1896) |
|
WC | D | In cave | Extra-European records are dubious ( |
|
Entomobrya atrocincta Schött, 1897 |
|
WC | I? | Litter | The large distribution of the species makes it difficult to determine from which region it may have been introduced. In addition, most colour patterns described in the literature do not fit the original and clear description of Schött (1897). | |
Entomobrya decemfasciata (Packard, 1873) |
|
WC | D | Contrary to the claim of Womersley, E. decemfasciata does not occur in “most temperate parts of the world, including Europe”. Reliable records are restricted to North America. The colour pattern given by Womersley is different from that given by |
||
Entomobrya lanuginosa (Nicolet, 1842) |
|
WC | I? | Entomobrya nivalis f. immaculata Schäffer, 1896 | The cited form is tentatively reported to E. lanuginosa. In that case it would be an introduced species. | |
Entomobrya minima Brown, 1926 |
|
KZN | E | Under stone | ||
Entomobrya multifasciata (Tullberg, 1871) |
|
WC, NC, G | I | Litter, next to stream | Widespread in the holarctic region. | |
Entomobrya nicoleti (Lubbock, 1876) |
|
WC | I? | Entomobrya nivalis f. maculata Schäffer, 1896 | The cited form is tentatively reported to E. nicoleti. In that case it would be an introduced species. | |
Entomobrya nivalis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
WC, EC, FS, KZN | I | Litter, rainwater pool | Cosmopolitan distribution, but most reliable records are in the holarctic region. | |
Lepidocyrtus cyaneus Tullberg, 1871 |
|
KZN, EC | I? | Dry leaves, damp soil | Cosmopolitan distribution, but considered introduced in southern hemisphere where other related species are absent. | |
Lepidocyrtus ferrugineus (Schött, 1893) |
|
KZN | D | Dry leaves | Described from Africa, the species needs a modern redescription to be recognizable. | |
Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus (Gmelin, 1788) |
|
WC | D | Litter | Records of this species from the southern hemisphere need to be checked. | |
Lepidokrugeria meyerae Coates, 1969* |
|
MP | E | Dead leaves | ||
Orchesella hexfasciata (Harvey, 1896) |
|
FS, G | D | Litter | Entomobrya hexfasciata Harvey, 1896 | Assigned to the genus Entomobrya by |
Pseudosinella alba (Packard, 1873) |
|
WC, EC | I | Litter | Cosmopolitan distribution, but most reliable records are in the holarctic region. | |
Pseudosinella
biguttata
|
|
KZN | E | Sand forest litter | ||
Pseudosinella immaculata (Lie–Pettersen, 1897) |
|
KZN | D | All reliable records of this species are from Western Europe (Gisin and Da Gama 1972), following major taxonomic changes in species delimitations introduced in the 60’ | ||
Pseudosinella octopunctata Börner, 1901 |
|
WC, FS | I? | Wet litter | Subcosmopolitan distribution, but most tropical and southern hemisphere records need confirmation. | |
Seira addoensis Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | EC | E | Soil and vegetation | ||
Seira anncla Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968, |
EC, WC | E | Shore vegetation | ||
Seira annulicornis (Börner, 1903) |
|
WC, MP, G, FS, KZN, | W |
Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) annulicornis (Börner, 1903) in |
African distribution | |
Seira annulipes (Handschin, 1929) |
|
KZN, WC | W | On vegetation | Lepidocyrtus annulipes, mispelling for Lepidocyrtinus annulipes Handschin, 1929 | African distribution. Redescription needed on modern standards. |
Seira annulosa (Wahlgren, 1906) |
|
WC | D | Shore vegetation | Lepidocyrtinus flavovirens var. annulosa Wahlgren, 1906 | Species previously known from Sudan; morphological features given by Wahlgren and Womersley do not allow reliable identification. |
Seira barnardi (Womersley, 1934) |
|
WC, NWP | E | Wet leaves |
Lepidocyrtinus cooperi var. barnardi Womersley, 1934 Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) barnardi (Womersley, 1933) (sic) |
|
Seira capensis (Womersley, 1934) |
|
WC, EC | E | On vegetation |
Lepidocyrtinus capensis Womersley, 1934 Seira (Seira) capensis (Womersley, 1934) in |
|
Seira damerella Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968, |
L, MP | E | Litter | ||
Seira dayi Yosii, 1959 |
|
WC | E | Seira (Lepidocyrtinus) dayi Yosii, 1959 | ||
Seira eleana Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968, |
MP | W | From dry vegetation | Also recorded from Mozambique by Coates (1968) and from Yemen by Barra (2004) | |
Seira flavovirens (Börner, 1903) |
|
WC | D |
Lepidocyrtinus flavovirens Börner, 1903 in Seira (Seira) flavovirens (Börner, 1903) in |
May correspond to several whitish species of Seira. | |
Seira grisea (Womersley, 1934) |
|
WC | E | From vegetation | Pseudosira grisea Womersley, 1934 | Possibly a synonym of Seira flavovirens according to |
Seira grisea annulata (Womersley, 1934) |
|
WC | D | Pseudosira grisea var. annulata Womersley, 1934 | The taxonomic value of this form is uncertain. This variety might be synonym of S. flavovirens after |
|
Seira incerta (Handschin, 1926) |
|
WC | D | Estuary | Lepidocyrtinus incertus Handschin, 1926 | The species has a characteristic colouration, but is only known from the Mediterranean region where it is uncommon, so unlikely to have been introduced to South Africa. |
Seira laeta (Börner, 1908) |
|
NC | E | Pseudosira (Mesira) laeta Börner, 1908 | ||
Seira lindei Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | EC, WC | E | Wet litter | ||
Seira marephila Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | EC, WC | E | Litter | ||
Seira mathewsi Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968, |
EC, WC | E | From vegetation | ||
Seira metala Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | WC | E | Litter | ||
Seira metarsiosa Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | FS, NC | E | From grass | ||
Seira munroi (Paclt, 1959) |
|
NC | E | In ants’ nest | Diamantinum munroi Paclt, 1959 | Transferred to Seira by |
Seira nagatai Yosii, 1959 |
|
WC | E | Seira (Seira) nagatai Yosii, 1959 | ||
Seira pallens (Börner, 1908) |
|
NC | E | Pseudosira nyassica var. pallens Börner, 1908 | ||
Seira pseudocoerulea (Denis, 1924) |
|
WC | D | Estuary |
Lepidocyrtinus pseudocoeruleus (Denis, 1924) in |
African species. A study of the chaetotaxy of Ethiopian specimens would be however necessary to confirm identification ( |
Seira rowani Yosii, 1959 |
|
WC | E | On vegetation | Seira (Afroseira) rowani Yosii, 1959 | |
Seira rykei Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | WC | E | On vegetation | ||
Seira squamoornata (Scherbakov, 1898) |
|
KZN, WC, FS, G, NC | D | Soil and vegetation | The numerous records of this species by Paclt are all dubious, and concern various endemic species of the genus. S. squamoornata is today considered to be limited to the Palaearctic region. | |
Seira tsikama Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968, |
WC | E | Forest leaf litter | ||
Seira vaneedeni Coates, 1968 | Coates 1968 | KZN | E | From shrub and grass | ||
Cyphoderidae | ||||||
Calobatinus rhadinopus (Börner, 1913) |
|
KZN, G | E | Termite nest | Calobatella rhadinopus Börner, 1913 | |
Cyphoda colura (Börner, 1908) |
|
NC | E | Termite nest | Cyphoderus colurus Börner, 1908 | |
Cyphoda limboxiphia (Börner, 1913) |
|
KZN, G | E? | Termite nest | Cyphoderus limboxiphius Börner, 1913 | |
Cyphoda natalensis (Börner, 1913) |
|
KZN, WC | E | Termite nest | Cyphoderus natalensis Börner, 1913 | |
Cyphoderus assimilis (Börner, 1906) |
|
KZN | W | Ant nest | Cosmopolitan distribution | |
Cyphoderus bidenticulatus Parona, 1888 |
|
KZN | E | Termite nest | ||
Cyphoderus omoensis Delamare Deboutteville, 1945 |
|
WC | D | In cave |
Cyphoderus arcuatus var. aethiopicus Hanschin, 1929 in |
Wrong identification of Womersley after |
Cyphoderus squamidives Silvestri, 1918 |
|
KZN, WC, G | E? | Termite nest |
Cyphoderus arcuatus var. squamidives in |
|
Cyphoderus trinervoidis Paclt, 1965 |
|
G | E | Termite nest | ||
Pseudocyphoderus wasmanni Börner, 1913 |
|
KZN, G | E | Termite nest | ||
Paronellidae | ||||||
Dicranocentruga nigromaculata (Schött, 1903) |
|
KZN | W |
Paronella nigromaculata Schött, 1903 in |
African species. The generic name Dicranocentruga Wray, 1953 was reactivated by |
|
Tomoceridae | ||||||
Neophorella dubia Womersley, 1934* |
|
WC | E | |||
NEELIPLEONA | ||||||
Neelidae | ||||||
Megalothorax minimus (Willem, 1900) |
|
WC | W | Damp soil, moss | Cosmopolitan species, currently in course of splitting. South Africa specimens will have to be re-examined. | |
SYMPHYPLEONA | ||||||
Sminthurididae | ||||||
Denisiella serroseta (Börner, 1908) |
|
NC | W |
Sminthurides (Stenacidia) serroseta in |
African species |
|
Sphaeridia minima (Schött, 1893) |
|
FS, WC | D | From soil | Sminthurides (Sphaeridia) minimus (Schött, 1893) |
S. minima is distributed in western Africa. It is very similar, if not identical, to the cosmopolitan species S. pumilis Krausbauer, 1898. |
Katiannidae | ||||||
Katianna kerguelenensis Denis, 1947 |
|
KZN | D | The South African records of this sub-Antarctic species need confirmation. | ||
Sminthurinus mime (Börner, 1907) |
|
WC | W | Beneath vegetation | Sminthurinus terrestris Womersley, 1931 |
|
Sminthurinus niger (Lubbock, 1873) |
|
WC | I | Under loose bark | Mostly holarctic. Tropical and Australian records may be the result of introductions. | |
Sminthurinus pallidus Womersley, 1931 |
|
WC | E | Beneath vegetation |
Sminthurinus terrestris Womersley, 1931 in |
The synonymy of S. pallidus |
Stenognathellus stenognathus (Börner, 1907) |
|
WC, KZN | W | Litter | Sminthurinus stenognathus (Börner, 1907) | Africa and Argentina. |
Dicyrtomidae | ||||||
Dicyrtomina africana Womersley, 1931 |
|
WC | E | On vegetation | Dicyrtomina minuta form africana Womersley, 1931 | The validity of this form needs confirmation. |
Dicyrtomina minuta (O. Fabricius, 1783) |
|
WC | I | At stream, on vegetation | Northern hemisphere, probably introduced in southern regions. Paclt considered Dicyrtoma minuta f. africana as identical with D. minuta. | |
Bourletiellidae | ||||||
Bourletiella arvalis (Fitch, 1863) |
|
WC | I | Lucerne pasture | Bourletiella (Bourletiella) arvalis (Fitch, 1863) | Northern hemisphere, with local occurrence in southern hemisphere where it has been probably introduced. |
Prorastriopes barnardi (Womersley, 1931) |
|
WC | E | Amongst grass | Deuterosminthurus marmoratus var. barnardi Womersley, 1931 | A colour form of P. marmoratus. |
Prorastriopes marmoratus (Womersley, 1931) |
|
WC | E | Rainwater pools | Deuterosminthurus marmoratus Womersley, 1931 |
|
Prorastriopes schultzei (Börner, 1908) |
|
WC, G, NC | E | Among vegetation, wet habitat | Bourletiella schultzei in Börner, 1908 | Generic assignation after |
Prorastriopes webbi Paclt, 1964 |
|
KZN, MP, EC | E | On vegetation, litter | ||
Rastriopes lineata Womersley, 1931 |
|
WC, NC, G | E | Under a fallen twig and on rainwater pool ( |
Rastriopes schultzei in |
|
Tritosminthurus schuhi Snider, 1988* |
|
WC | E | |||
Sminthuridae | ||||||
Papirinus prodigiosum Yosii, 1954 |
|
KZN | D | Sphyrotheca prodigiosa (Yosii, 1954) | The genus Papirinus, placed among Katiannidae in |
|
Sminthurus viridis (Linnaeus, 1758) |
|
WC | I | On vegetation | Mainly holarctic species, thought to have been introduced from Europe (via Australia) as eggs in soil through the importation of clover seed (Wallace 1968, |
The number of Collembola species recorded for South Africa is low compared to well-studied regions such as Europe (
Species recorded from the Prince Edward Islands, an island group geopolitically part of South Africa. Abbreviations used: E = endemic to Marion Island, S = sub-Antarctic distribution, I = introduced, D = dubious.
Current species name | Source | Status | Name in source and comments |
---|---|---|---|
PODUROMORPHA | |||
Hypogastruridae | |||
Ceratophysella denticulata (Bagnall, 1941) |
|
I | Ceratophysella cf. denticulata (Bagnall, 1941) |
Hypogastrura viatica (Tullberg, 1872) |
|
D | Not found again since 1981, possible contamination (CJS pers. obs.) |
Neanuridae | |||
Friesea tilbrooki Wise, 1970 |
|
S |
Friesea viennei Deharveng, 1981 (syn |
Tullbergiidae | |||
Tullbergia bisetosa Börner, 1902 |
|
S | |
ENTOMOBRYOMORPHA | |||
Isotomidae | |||
Cryptopygus antarcticus travei Deharveng, 1981 |
|
E | |
Cryptopygus dubius Deharveng, 1981 |
|
S | |
Cryptopygus tricuspis Enderlein, 1909 |
|
S | |
Folsomotoma marionensis (Deharveng, 1981) |
|
E | Isotoma (Sorensia) marionensis Deharveng, 1981 |
Isotomurus maculatus Müller, 1876 |
|
I |
Isotomurus cf. palustris, confirmed as I. maculatus by |
Mucrosomia caeca (Wahlgren, 1906) |
|
S |
Cryptopygus caecus Wahlgren, 1906 (new comb. after |
Parisotoma notabilis (Schäffer, 1896) |
|
I | Isotoma (Parisotoma) notabilis |
Tomoceridae | |||
Pogonognathellus flavescens (Tullberg, 1871) |
|
I | |
NEELIPLEONA | |||
Neelidae | |||
Megalothorax minimus Willem, 1900 |
|
I | Megalothorax cf. minimus Willem, 1900, identification confirmed by C. Schneider (pers. comm.) |
SYMPHYPLEONA | |||
Katiannidae | |||
Sminthurinus granulosus Enderlein, 1909 |
|
S |
Sminthurinus cf. granulosus Enderlein, 1909 in |
Sminthurinus tuberculatus Delamare Deboutteville & Massoud, 1963 |
|
S |
Sminthurinus cf. kerguelensis Salmon, 1964 in |
Katianna sp. |
|
E |
With the caveat in mind of undersampling, both in many parts of Africa and country-wide, it is worth considering what the current information on species in the country suggests. It appears that endemicity is likely to be high (currently 65%). This value is similar to that found for other invertebrate groups and plants in South Africa, with an extraordinary high number of endemic species found in the south-western Cape (see
Currently, six genera are thought to be endemic to South Africa: Najtafrica Barra, 2002 (one species, Pseudachorutinae), Probrachystomellides Weiner & Najt, 1991 (one species, Brachystomellidae), Capbrya Barra, 1999 (two species, Entomobryidae), Lepidokrugeria Coates, 1969 (one species, Lepidocyrtinae), Neophorella Womersley, 1934 (one species, Tomoceridae) and Tritosminthurus Snider, 1988 (one species, Bourletiellidae). Neophorella dubia was described from a single specimen by
The current information also suggests that approximately 20% of the Collembola species found in South Africa may have been introduced by humans to the region and should therefore be considered alien (see
Nonetheless, that several alien species are present, especially of European origin, is not surprising given the close historical links between South Africa and Europe (Giliomee and Mbenga 2007). Most of the invasive species were collected in disturbed environments, in gardens or close to human settlements (Supplementary Material Suppl. material
In conclusion, based on published knowledge only, the Collembola species richness of South Africa is high compared with other African countries (
Grant Duffy assisted with the production of the map. Clement Schneider identified the Megalothorax minimus from Marion Island. We are grateful for support from the South Africa–France bilateral grants (PROTEA I and II), and the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology. SLC is supported by ARC DP140102815.
Table S1
Data type: occurrence
Explanation note: Collection details of Collembola recorded from continental South Africa.