Photos / Sounds
What
Prosopocera jacobeaeObserver
beetledudeDescription
Large longicorn repeatedly appearing at this time of year
PHOTOS & OBSERVATIONS: Dewald Kamffer, Modjadjiskloof.
Published to iNaturalist at his request and with his permission.
Adult longhorn beetles of this species found in citrus trees in home garden. Found in different citrus species & varieties: oranges and lemons and grapefruit and naartjie|tangerine. The beetles cause great damage by feeding on leaves. Larvae or their activity not seen yet; perhaps they do not develop in citrus stems|branches; observations are continuing.
It seems that the adults of this 'bycid emerge after the first good rain, which nowadays at this location falls in November. The adult beetles are common in a pesticide-free home garden, but—despite frequent visits there—are not seen in commercial citrus orchards. Commercial orchards in this region are heavily dosed with chemicals at this time of year.
Body length of adult c. 13–15 mm.
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Slowworm (Anguis fragilis)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Mumie der Blindschleiche?
Im Garten meiner Schwester MARISA STEYN.
Entdeckt von meinem Neffen MICHAEL STEYN. Sein Fuß ist die Maßstab.
Fotos mit Erlaubnis verwendet, auf deren Anfrage.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus PolyspilotaObserver
beetledudePlace
Mt Mabu, summit. Mozambique: Zambézia Province. Location of the "Google Forest." (Google, OSM)Description
Polyspilota sp. from paradise
PHOTOS & EXPERIENCE: Gimo M Daniel, Bloemfontein.
I think the mantis in Gimo's photos above is a female.
EDIT:
The mantis in Gimo's photos above is a male.
Gimo's mantis is a rather good match for the unidentified Polyspilota sp.2 reported from Rwanda by world mantis expert Gavin Svenson and his colleagues in the 2015 paper cited below. The Svenson expedition to Rwanda yielded three Polyspilota species, not one of which was identifiable to species level.
Polyspilota is an Afrotropical genus, currently with about ten valid species. Three of those species are restricted to the islands southeast of the continent. Polyspilota aeruginosa is common and widespread from South Africa to West Africa, plus Madagascar. Polyspilota caffra and Polyspilota magna are confined to southern Africa. The remaining five Polyspilota species occur in different parts of tropical Africa, but their distributions are very poorly known. There should be no doubt that there are additional, unnamed species yet to be collected and described. Gimo's mantis from Mt Mabu may easily be an undescribed species.
In the paper cited below there are two clear photographs of the Rwandese Polyspilota sp.2:
- Fig. 5H (♀ in life).
- Fig. 19D (♀ mounted).
Wisdom in here:
Tedrow R, Nathan K, Richard N, Svenson GJ (2015) A survey of the praying mantises of Rwanda, including new records (Insecta, Mantodea). Zootaxa 4027(1): 67–100. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4027.1.3.
Try for a free PDF by using your mouse-wheel and CLICKING HERE.
Photos / Sounds
What
Prosmidia coniferaObserver
beetledudePlace
Roodeplaat Farm (ARC), NE of Pretoria. | Tiny riverine forest on bank of Pienaars River, Gauteng, South Africa. (Google, OSM)Description
Identification by Elizabeth (Beth) Grobbelaar, South African National Collection of Insects.
Feeding on leaves of the tiniest of cucurbits, still to be identified. This beetle species previously found to attack cultivated pumpkin in agricultural field 100-200 m from this position.
Photos / Sounds
What
Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth (Spoladea recurvalis)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Native, or a tramp?
Moth that looks familiar ... isn't it a pest of something? A webworm???
Photo by Ludwig Wagner, London.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Die Geel Gevaar
10 years ago this was a happy suburban vlei with birds, fishes and butterflies. It has subsequently become completely clogged with a large variety of alien invaders. This yellow one seems to be new. >100 plants, up to 220 cm tall. Seems confined to c. 100 square meters. Growing strongly, flowering profusely at present. I must have overlooked them in recent years.
I am worried. Identification and advice, please. I can make a herbarium sample if necessary.
Photos / Sounds
What
Traveller's Joy (Clematis brachiata)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Traveller's Joy? Commuter's Delight!
Peak flowering time in this thornveld. A welcoming sight down the hill to the office.
Photos / Sounds
What
Silk Oak (Grevillea robusta)Observer
beetledudePlace
De Tweede Spruit Conservancy, Gauteng: Roadside, De Tweede Spruit main dirt road, 1 km ENE of RefilweÔÇôMoloto tarred road (Google, OSM)Description
Silky Oak -- Being invaded by indigenous vegetation?
? See this project: http://www.ispotnature.org/projects/silky-oak
For about 230 m along this road a row of Silky Oaks stands on either side. The trees are old; some seem to be decrepit or dying. Have a look at the satellite view, and especially Google Streetview, to appreciate what may be going on here. It's almost as good as going there. Don't go as far as the casuarinas or the pines on the northern side of the road. The current Streetview imagery is, unfortunately, from mid-winter.
On the northern side of the road (left on the pictures), it seems like the Silky Oaks were planted as a windbreak for the orchard just behind them. I think those are almonds. I have no such a neat explanation for the opposite row of trees. Enough money for symmetry, perhaps. Must have been beautiful when young.
I assume that the windbreak and opposite row were cleared of indigenous vegetation when they were newly planted, how many decades ago. Now, the rows of ageing Silky Oaks are unkempt, and a fair number of different indigenous trees and shrubs (and trees-as-shrubs) have infiltrated the Silky Oaks. In some stretches the indigenous vegetation seems to dominate the planted trees, which are taller. In places it looks like the bush that must have been present there before the area was cleared for agriculture.
Compared to undisturbed areas in close vicinity, the natural bush on this farm and the others along this road was completely destroyed, I assume when the area was settled and tamed. Colonised, one could say. That could have been towards the end of the nineteenth century, but that then at the earliest. The species of tree and shrub that are infiltrating the Silky Oak avenue are typical of topographically comparable undisturbed remnants of veld in De Tweedespruit. The "invaders" here include Silver Clusterleaf Terminalia sericea, Buffalothorn Ziziphus mucronata, some acacia shrubs or trees, and even Savanna Protea Protea caffra. Except for the Vachellia on this little list, I have no knowledge that any of the other species are ever significant bush encroachers, and probably also not usually pioneer species. I assume that the Silky Oaks created suitable microhabitat for them to establish and persist, and -- importantly -- that the farmer gave up clearing.
Most unsurprisingly the incursion is not only of indigenous plants. I can recall Bugweed Solanum mauritianum and Cherrypie Lantana camara also being there, and perhaps also Yellow Bells Tecoma stans, but of the last one I'm not sure.
Have another look at the satellite view: these fringes of bush are really narrow, probably kept from expanding away from the road because of ongoing agricultural clearing or simply routine agricultural activity. That makes me wonder if the indigenous plants invaded the planted rows in a linear manner -- did not think of this on the day I took these ugly pictures.
These pictures were taken in a hurry while I was doing something very different (and truly out of the ordinary). I hope to return to this avenue in future to explore and document the situation with more attention.
Number of individuals: c. 200 (planted in rows, ageing).
Size class: 48 m, or >8 m.
Photos / Sounds
What
Silk Oak (Grevillea robusta)Observer
beetledudePlace
De Tweede Spruit Conservancy, Gauteng: Roadside, De Tweede Spruit main dirt road, 400 m E of Elands River (Google, OSM)Description
Silky Oak -- Not obviously invading anything
? See this project: http://www.ispotnature.org/projects/silky-oak
Pictures of a tree taken long before Rabelani's project was initiated, hence no tailormade observations. Along this dirt road in a farming area there are the occasional large Silky Oak, which I assume have been planted there.
Start at this location, where this tree is clearly visible on Google Streetview. Then drive up and down the De Tweede Spruit road with Google Streetview to get a rather good impression of the Silky Oaks at the side of the road. I cannot discern any baby trees, but I'm not too sure what they look like. Unfortunately the current Streetview version is in the middle of winter.
Number of individuals: Occasional along road.
Size class: 48 m, or >8 m.
Photos / Sounds
What
Zamium bimaculatumObserver
beetledudeDescription
Evidence that they fly as high as 6 storeys
Small longhorn beetle flew onto my desk in a concrete box on the 6th floor. Roundabout 21:30.
Photos / Sounds
What
Blue Squill (Merwilla plumbea)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Squill by/for my UK friends
My London friends Ludwig & Paul are exploring the Drakensberg. Ludwig snapped these pictures on Wednesday. I want to surprise him with a reliable identification.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus SinoxylonObserver
beetledudeDescription
Stompkoppiehoutboorderkewertjie
Came to light in evening. Length 7.5 mm.
Photos / Sounds
What
Baboon Grape (Rhoicissus digitata)Observer
beetledudePlace
Beach between Mabibi and Sodwana: Eroded sandy beach. On night drive back from meeting my first loggerhead turtle. (Google, OSM)Description
Sea pumpkin
On beach, low spring tide: hundreds of these "pumpkins" lying in shallow water. It is apparently important to note that the beach sand was deeply washed away. It was night.
Pumpkins as in pictures. Enormous, fleshy things. The one collected and shown here was one of the smallest; size up to double this. Flesh really juicy, no smell, no taste -- seems to be all fresh water. Is this a plant's underground storage organ?
Twig with leaves came along later, donated by a stranger. If the leaves do not belong to the pumpkin, I shall remove them.
First opinion was that the pumpkins were washed ashore from the coral reefs. That lead to the identification of the pumpkins as algae.
Second opinion was that the twig & leaves, dug up from the beach sand, belong with the pumpkins. A stranger gave me the gift of a small sample of his larger sample.
Third opinion, by another stranger, was that these pumpkins belong to the Asteraceae. I have no idea why.
What are sea pumpkins?
EDIT HISTORY
• Observation originally posted 2014-11-06.
• Pictures of leaves removed 2014-12-26 (see below for why).
What
Karoo Thrush (Turdus smithi)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Half-bird
What^s the saying? Half a bird in the bush is better than an egg in your hand? Or was that an egg on your face?
Photos / Sounds
What
Bumspot Chafer (Popillia bipunctata)Observer
beetledudePlace
De Tweede Spruit Conservancy, Gauteng: Roadside, on De Tweede Spruit main dirt road # Elands River. (Google, OSM)Description
Chafer asana
It was raining and the chafers were too cold to fly. They clung to vegetation, either with the head up, or with the head down. All four individuals I saw were frozen in the same yoga position: holding on with the two front pairs of legs, but the hindlegs are spread up and out as far as they can go. They retained this position when lightly pestered by me.
I don't know what they were doing. I don't know if this is some form of crypsis, or even a form of mimicry. In the upside down position, the two areas of whitish scales may look like eyes. Are they also reverse-painted? The outstretched hindlegs may look a little spidery.
Any thoughts on this pose?
Photos / Sounds
What
Sweet Thorn (Vachellia karroo)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Joy has a yellow colour
When in flower, these trees make me feel better. In my home range they ^mast flower^ two or three times every summer.
Photos / Sounds
What
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia var. domestica)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Foul Fowl -- Another 4 euros
Nestlings in flower box in passageway. Eleven days old.
Some years ago I read that a researcher at the University of Basel, Switzerland, calculated that each feral pigeon in Europe had an economic impact of 2 euros over its lifetime.
Photos / Sounds
What
Yellow Trumpetbush (Tecoma stans var. stans)Observer
beetledudePlace
Van Stadensriviermond, Eastern Cape: 40km W of Port Elizabeth. Roadside above holiday resort. (Google, OSM)Description
Invader in paradise -- Yellow Bells
Multistemmed bush some 3m high. Leaves imparipinnate, leaf margins clearly serrate. Clusters (Racemes) of yellow trumpet flowers with faint stripes in their throats. No fruits visible.
Invader from Mesoamerica. Introduced as ornamental plant. Now occurring frequently in 5 provinces of South Africa, rarely in two more; also neighbouring countries. Potential 'transformer' weed with the ability to form dense monocultures, thereby altering ecosystem structure, integrity and functioning.
One of a group of 'emerging weeds' identified as such in 2004. Biological control currently being researched. One biocontrol agent already released, more to follow.
What
Broad Scarlet (Crocothemis erythraea)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Dragonfly to identifly
This observation posted on behalf of Eben Lourens, Field Ranger, Keurbooms Nature Reserve, also to convince him that iSpot is just the ^thing^ for him.
^Is this Pantala flavescens common name Wandering Glider?^
Photos / Sounds
What
Pompom Weed (Campuloclinium macrocephalum)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Pompom Weed establishing in grassy savanna
Photos / Sounds
What
Paintbrush Lily (Scadoxus puniceus)Observer
beetledudePlace
Roodeplaat Farm (ARC), NE of Pretoria: Tiny riverine forest on bank of Pienaars River, Gauteng. (Google, OSM)Description
Scadoxus puniceus -- Roodeplaat -- Now in Summer
This is the same individual Kaffir Almanac plant in October 2011 also recorded at https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/10801962, but now almost four months later. It has grown to about 120 cm tall. There is no sign of the flowerhead it carried in October, or of any resultant fruiting.
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Lichens (Class Lecanoromycetes)Observer
beetledudePlace
Roodeplaat Farm (ARC), NE of Pretoria: Tiny riverine forest on bank of Pienaars River, Gauteng. (Google, OSM)Description
Lichen on bark of White Stinkwood
I have known these lichens since childhood, but never learnt anything about them yet. It seems that they are specific to the bark (trunks and main branches) of White Stinkwood Celtis africana, but that is probably untrue for the reason that I have not been able to recognise them on other substrates.
The lichens range in size from imperceptibly tiny to around 20 or 25 cm across. Old colonies die off from the centre, as seen in the second & third pictures.
What
Spotted Cleome (Cleome maculata)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Another Cleome pic
Inspired by http://za.ispot.org.uk/node/144136.
I do not have a better picture. Can this be confirmed to be Cleome maculata versus Cleome macrophylla?
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Sugarbush (Protea caffra ssp. caffra)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Protea from Tshwane
Thanks for all the observations of fantastic Proteaceae from the Cape. Here is one of the few from the summer rainfall area.
Nice population of sugarbush in as-yet-unbuilt area of posh suburb. Prognosis dire. Shale. Aspect ~SE.
Photos / Sounds
What
Potato Lady Beetle (Solanophila dregei)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Potato lady beetles aggregating in winter
COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE: EPILACHNINAE. An indigenous lady beetle species herbivorous on several kinds of Solanaceae. Habitually hibernates (overwinters) in large aggregations of adults. Read the story below.
Photos / Sounds
What
Grain Lady Beetle (Chnootriba similis)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Grain lady beetles aggregating in summer
COLEOPTERA: COCCINELLIDAE: EPILACHNINAE. An indigenous lady beetle species herbivorous on grass/grain leaf blades. Here estivating (over-summering) in an aggregation of adults.
Read the story below.
What
Southern Magpie Shrike (Lanius melanoleucus ssp. melanoleucus)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Magpie Shrike @ the office
Such a cool bird to have resident (and probably breeding) in the office gardens, is it not?
Photos / Sounds
What
Serrated Hinged Terrapin (Pelusios sinuatus)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Turtle @ Roodeplaat (Gauteng)
Photos / Sounds
What
Stinkwood Leaf Beetles (Genus Megaleruca)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Celtis leaf beetles emerging from pupae
Leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) with soft bodies. Wing shields (elytra) lead grey, scutellum and neck shield (pronotum) pale yellow with grey markings. Antennae thread-like, thickening a little towards apex. The very pale individuals (tenerals) have most recently emerged from the pupae and will darken in colour in a matter of hours.
Also see biological note below.
Photos / Sounds
What
Bright Indigo (Indigofera sanguinea)Observer
beetledudeDescription
Indigofera in southern Zululand
Low shrublet, I hope pics show what is needed; glass tube ('Polytop') in second pic = 8 cm long; grassy area in thornveld savanna.