INVERTEBRATES
Common ciliate blue/Common hair tail, Anthene definita
The common ciliate blue is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in southern Africa. The wingspan is 21-27 mm for males and 24-29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas, with a peak in summer. The larvae feed on Allophylus africanus, Pappea capensis, Mangifera indica, Myrica aethiopica, Myrica sericea, Acacia karroo, Acacia cyanophylla, Acacia saligna, Paraserianthus lophanta, Schotia, Bersama and Kalanchoe species. The larvae are associated with ants of the Iridomyrmyx genus.
Pearl-spotted emperor/Pearl spotted charaxes, Charaxes jahlusa
The Pearl-spotted emperor is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in southern Africa.The wingspan is 43–56 mm in males and 50–62 mm in females. Flight period is from October to March, some species are year-round. Larvae feed on Pappea capensis, Dalbergia melanoxylon, and Haplocoelum foliosum.
Brown locust, Locustana pardalina
The brown locust is a medium-sized small locust species found in Southern Africa. As its name suggests, the immature adult is brown, but there are occasionally green forms. In seasons with good rainfall there can be three generations but in droughts the eggs can remain dormant for up to 15 months. Laying takes place in well-drained, loose soil and the eggs hatch after 10-20 days. With its drought-resistant egg stage, short life cycle with 2–4 generations per year, high fecundity and highly gregarious behaviour, the brown locust regularly produces intense outbreaks. Eggs are usually laid in dry soil and during the summer months will hatch approximately 10 days after 15–25 millimetres of rain has fallen. In the Karoo, brown locusts overwinter in the egg stage (1-3 months). Hatching begins in September after the first rains and continues in October with fledging in December. In years of good rainfall further laying can occur in January to produce a second generation in March; this generation in turn can lay again, probably in April. Hatching hoppers aggregate and develop into thousands of small, discrete, highly gregarious hopper bands. Swarming populations can then perpetuate themselves for a number of years, requiring an intense control effort, before gradually dying out during another drought cycle. Brown locust population fluctuations can be dramatic with plagues occurring periodically. The source region where locust eggs are laid is often in the Karoo region of South Africa and, from there, swarms may spread into neighbouring Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Brown locust swarms peak in later summer (January to March).
The common ciliate blue is a butterfly of the Lycaenidae family. It is found in southern Africa. The wingspan is 21-27 mm for males and 24-29 mm for females. Adults are on wing year round in warmer areas, with a peak in summer. The larvae feed on Allophylus africanus, Pappea capensis, Mangifera indica, Myrica aethiopica, Myrica sericea, Acacia karroo, Acacia cyanophylla, Acacia saligna, Paraserianthus lophanta, Schotia, Bersama and Kalanchoe species. The larvae are associated with ants of the Iridomyrmyx genus.
Pearl-spotted emperor/Pearl spotted charaxes, Charaxes jahlusa
The Pearl-spotted emperor is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae found in southern Africa.The wingspan is 43–56 mm in males and 50–62 mm in females. Flight period is from October to March, some species are year-round. Larvae feed on Pappea capensis, Dalbergia melanoxylon, and Haplocoelum foliosum.
Brown locust, Locustana pardalina
The brown locust is a medium-sized small locust species found in Southern Africa. As its name suggests, the immature adult is brown, but there are occasionally green forms. In seasons with good rainfall there can be three generations but in droughts the eggs can remain dormant for up to 15 months. Laying takes place in well-drained, loose soil and the eggs hatch after 10-20 days. With its drought-resistant egg stage, short life cycle with 2–4 generations per year, high fecundity and highly gregarious behaviour, the brown locust regularly produces intense outbreaks. Eggs are usually laid in dry soil and during the summer months will hatch approximately 10 days after 15–25 millimetres of rain has fallen. In the Karoo, brown locusts overwinter in the egg stage (1-3 months). Hatching begins in September after the first rains and continues in October with fledging in December. In years of good rainfall further laying can occur in January to produce a second generation in March; this generation in turn can lay again, probably in April. Hatching hoppers aggregate and develop into thousands of small, discrete, highly gregarious hopper bands. Swarming populations can then perpetuate themselves for a number of years, requiring an intense control effort, before gradually dying out during another drought cycle. Brown locust population fluctuations can be dramatic with plagues occurring periodically. The source region where locust eggs are laid is often in the Karoo region of South Africa and, from there, swarms may spread into neighbouring Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Brown locust swarms peak in later summer (January to March).