Summary data on oribatid mites of the genus Allonothrus (Trhypochthoniidae) of the Ethiopian region are presented. A new subspecies, Allonothrus schuilingi seychelli nov. subsp., is described from Seychelles. It is distinguished on the basis of the shape and length of the notogastral and ventral setae. An identification key to all known African species of Allonothrus is provided.

Barbus pallidus as it is presently defined has a disjunct distribution that is divided between northern and southern populations in South Africa. Sequence data from the cytochrome b gene region showed two distinct lineages that correspond to these geographically distant areas. Divergence between these two lineages was relatively high (5.5–6.5%) and comparable to typical interspecific divergences found between closely related southern African cyprinid fishes. Based on this deep genetic divergence, we conclude that the northern lineage may represent a previously unrecognised species or may belong to a different, but known species or species complex not associated with ‘true’ B. pallidus. These findings add to a growing body of evidence that freshwater fish diversity in southern Africa requires major revision.

Marine fish nurseries such as surf-zones have usually been classified as nurseries based solely on the density of pre-adult fish, yet the full suite of developmental stages are seldom assessed because of difficulties associated with sampling these habitats. The larval and early juvenile fish assemblage was studied in a sheltered surf-zone (King's Beach, South Africa), where high densities of older juveniles are known to occur. Fishes were collected fortnightly over six months using two modified seine nets. Although the surf composition included typical species for this habitat type, Gobiidae, Gobiesocidae and Haemulidae dominated the larval assemblage, which suggested that the nearby rocky structure and estuaries have an influence on the assemblage. Three species, Liza richardsonii (Mugilidae), Pomadasys olivaceus (Haemulidae) and Diplodus capensis (Sparidae), showed evidence of growth and recruitment into the surf-zone from the late larval stage. The high density of larval and juvenile fishes, the presence of more than one early life history stage and the observed growth of fishes suggests that King’s Beach provides a suitable nursery habitat for several fishes.

Despite expanding road networks, there is limited understanding of the effects of roads on wildlife in East Africa. We present a baseline survey and describe the patterns of roadkill in the Tarangire—Manyara ecosystem of Tanzania. A 75 km stretch of the Arusha Highway that passes adjacent to Manyara Ranch and Lake Manyara National Park was studied for 10 consecutive days in November 2013 (the rainy season). Wildlife species killed on the road, roadkill frequency and road characteristics were determined. A total of 101 roadkill were recorded (0.13 roadkill km^-1) comprising 37 species from all terrestrial vertebrate groups, of which two species, house cat (Felis catus) and domestic dog (Canis lupus), were domesticated species. Birds were the most frequently killed taxon (50%), followed by mammals (30%), reptiles (17%) and amphibians (3%). Excluding birds, roadkill primarily consisted of nocturnal species (65%) versus diurnal species (35%). Most roadkill (77.3%) were encountered on road stretches adjacent to protected areas of Manyara Ranch and Lake Manyara National Park compared with 22.7% on the road stretches adjacent to non-protected areas. These findings highlight that roads are a potential threat to wildlife in East Africa and serve as a baseline for future comparisons.

Habitat loss and fragmentation inevitably cause biodiversity decline, a major concern for the conservation of endangered species. Primates are of particular interest, because they are highly vulnerable to forest fragmentation. In this study, we investigated faecal glucocorticoid measurements (FGCM), an indicator of physiological stress, in an endemic and IUCN-endangered monkey species inhabiting forest blocks in the Udzungwa Mountains in south-central Tanzania. The Udzungwa red colobus (Procolobus gordonorum) is threatened by hunting, and habitat degradation and loss due to agricultural expansion. They are highly folivorous, more abundant at lower elevations, but able to persist in extremely small forest blocks. We collected faecal samples in four forest blocks that differed in size, level of human impact (hunting and past logging activities) and ecological factors to examine the potential influence on stress hormone output. Across all four forests, we did not find any clear effect on FGCM levels of the variables considered, apart from elevation. Red colobus had higher FGCM levels at lower elevations, where their seemingly optimal habitat occurs, but concomitantly where greater human disturbance is found. Although our results should be interpreted with caution and confirmed with further study, we suggest that this species is not negatively influenced by a moderate level of human activity, consistent with ecological modelling data.

This study investigates the distribution, relative abundance, population growth and biology of the alien invasive fish Gambusia affinis in the Wilderness Lakes System, a coastal lake system in the warm-temperate region of South Africa. Fish were collected throughout the system during four seasonal sampling trips in spring (October 2010), summer (February 2011), autumn (May 2011) and winter (July 2011). Gambusia affinis were widespread and abundant in all habitats from the freshwater reaches of the inflowing Touw River to the more saline lakes and estuary. Sex ratio was generally female dominated and mean length at maturity was 14.7 mm standard length (SL) for males and 20.3 mm SL for females. Reproduction was strongly seasonal with reproductively active fish sampled in spring and summer but not in autumn and winter. Relative abundance also varied seasonally, with populations following typical ‘boom and bust’ population dynamics. By winter, the population in all habitats was lower with mortality rates as high as 85%. The stronghold of the population appears to be in the channels between the lakes, where relative abundance was more consistent and winter mortality rates were lower. The survivors, which are primarily females, then reconstitute the population in the spring and summer months.

Water quality was recorded quarterly along the length of the Swartvlei estuary (2002–2014), while seagrass biomass and macrobenthic abundance were measured annually in intertidal sandprawn beds (2009–2014). Despite relatively stable, marine-dominated conditions the abundance of the sandprawn Callichirus kraussi recorded in the lower and middle reaches decreased significantly (p < 0.025), accompanied by an increase in seagrass biomass and the abundance of burrowing bivalves and the surface-grazing gastropod Nassarius kraussianus. No significant changes were noted in the upper reaches, where, unlike the lower and middle reaches, the size distribution and juvenile recruitment of C. kraussi remained relatively constant. The temporal data from the lower reaches showed a high, negative correlation between C. kraussi numbers and (a) seagrass (Zostera (Zosterella) capensis) biomass (r = -0.85), and (b) burrowing bivalve numbers (r = -0.69). These relationships were apparent in comparative samples taken from prawn and seagrass beds, where C. kraussi numbers were significantly lower and burrowing bivalve numbers were higher in a seagrass area than in the adjoining high-density prawn bed. These changes accord with previously demonstrated negative correlations between vegetation of sandbanks and abundance of C. kraussi, and with the demonstrable negative effects of sandprawns on bivalves and N. kraussianus. However, our study is novel in that it indicated that changes in enviromental conditions may shift the balance among these species.

In this study we report findings in roosting ecology, ectoparasites, echolocation characteristics and the phylogenetic position of Cardioderma cor, an impressive bat species that is distributed throughout the savannas and woodlands of eastern Africa. For individuals caught in Mago National Park, Ethiopia, we recorded broadband frequency-modulated ultrasound signals having very short duration (2 ms) with three harmonic components. The mean peak frequency of the first harmonic was 50.4 kHz and the mean inter-signal interval was 186 ms. Phylogenetic reconstructions of all known species from the family Megadermatidae based on DNA sequences of two mitochondrial and four nuclear genes yielded incongruent topologies (both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analysis) with only weak support for nodes. The phylogeny that combined all six loci into a species tree was not congruent with any previous inference based on dental or cranial characteristics, but it suggested separate generic status of two Megaderma species. However, additional genetic data are necessary to resolve the phylogeny of Megadermatidae, a group that probably evolved by simultaneous divergence of all five extant lineages.

Ground-nesting birds, particularly larids, are known to include a variety of items in their nests as pseudo-eggs, as well as to adopt the eggs of conspecifics or other species. Three hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon: incubation stimulus, mistaken-food, and mistaken-egg hypotheses. Of 382 Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus vetula nests monitored during 2013/14, 11 instances of pseudo-egg (mostly driftwood and beef/ lamb bones), and one instance of exotic egg, adoption were recorded. A combination of all three hypotheses was attributed for the adoption of pseudo-eggs, whereas the exotic egg adoption could have been due to the need for incubation stimulus or a case of mistaken food.

Recent studies have described the presence of several mitochondrial lineages within Rhabdomys, which was previously considered to be a monotypic genus. The exact distributional limits of the species and subspecies and their contact zones are unclear. In this study we demonstrate that two monophyletic Rhabdomys dilectus mitochondrial lineages are present at two northern Gauteng province sampling sites in South Africa. Cytochrome b gene sequences, 896 nucleotides in length, generated for 36 Rhabdomys samples identified 10 unique haplotypes corresponding to eight R. dilectus dilectus haplotypes (from 32 individuals) and two R. d. chakae haplotypes (from four individuals). The present study provides the first empirical evidence for a contact zone for two R. dilectus conspecific mitochondrial lineages and contributes to the refinement of Rhabdomys distributional maps in southern Africa.

Pale-winged Starlings Onychognathus nabouroup inhabit the arid western interior of southern Africa and moult—breeding overlap may occur. We collected field data in two successive years on the moult of individual birds, whose sex was confirmed by genetic techniques. Small samples revealed a non-significant tendency for the moult of females in the early stages of wing moult to be more advanced than that of males in both years, but also clear evidence that the starting date of moult differed in the two years. In this species the moult schedule may thus be variable at both the individual and the population levels.

The presence of Southeast Asian walking catfish, Clarias batrachus, in Mauritian freshwater systems has been confirmed. Three female Clarias batrachus were caught in Rivière Sèche, close to the town of Phoenix, Mauritius (20°17′ S, 57°33′ E). This constitutes the first record of the introduction of this species into the wild on the island of Mauritius.