Abstract: Please read the abstract (Summary) in the section, 09summary and aknowledgements, of this document
Abstract: The relationship between beetles and flowers is often mutually beneficial. Flowers provide not only edible rewards and favourable micro-environments, but may also be sites for mating and egg-laying activities. Even though beetles consume various parts of flowers, including pollen, and can sometimes cause considerable damage, they are in fact important pollinators of many flowers. Pollen was once considered indigestible but is actually a highly nutritious food source for many animal...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document
Abstract: There are many examples of associations between insects and fungi. Where the fungi involved are pathogens, such associations may be of economic importance. Insects of no economic concern alone can also become important pests because of their association with fungal pathogens. Insects may assist in the spread of pathogens by carrying them on or in their bodies. Insects may also predispose plants to infection by creating wounds during feeding, oviposition or other behavioural activit...
Abstract: Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document
Abstract: Mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) cause severe damage to many commercial crops, including grapevine. This is largely because of their ability to transmit various grapevine viral diseases, in particular grapevine leafroll-associated viruses (GLRaVs). Grapevine leafroll is one of the most wide-spread grapevine diseases worldwide. Managing the field-spread of grapevine leafroll disease requires, amongst others, stringent mealybug control. Mealybug monitoring and control methods re...
Abstract: Earthworms have an important role to play in turfgrass. They aerify and enrich the soil, enhance water infiltration and break down thatch. Turfgrass managers are advised to select pesticides non-hazardous to earthworms to maintain the long-term stability of a healthy turf An artificial soil test was used to assess the toxicity of five insecticides, used for turf grass pest management, on the Pheretima group (Megascolecidae). The recommended application rates of carbaryl, chlorpyrif...
Abstract: Morphological variation was examined in 58 species of Canthon and 18 species of other genera of the subtribe Canthonina (Anisocanthon, Canthonella, Cryptocanthon, Deltochilum, Hansreia, Holocanthon, Malagoniella, Melam canthon, Scybalocanthon, and Sylvicanthon). A total of 667 specimens was used for examination of morphological characters. Variation in head structures such as clypeus, eyes, labium, gula, and epipharynx is described. Thoracic structures examined include the pronotum...
Abstract: In South Africa, the genus Eucalyptus plays an important role as a plantation tree and hence forms a major economic component in the forest sector. An insect pest of these Eucalyptus species, Gonipterus scutellatus, causes periodic defoliation in the plantations. Plants have extraordinary array of chemicals (secondary metabolites), which defend them from herbivores. This study reports on the seasonal variation of the tannin concentration and carbohydrate content of the leaves of ni...
Abstract: The eight southern African King Cricket genera, namely Bochus, Borborothis, Henicus, Libanasa, Libanasidus, Nasidius, Onosandridus, and Onosandrus are redescribed from type and museum material and a key to the genera is provided. Additionally, the status of Libanasidus impicta is investigated and species characteristics confirmed. A key to the two Libanasidus species is also provided. No morphological support for these eight southern African anostostomatid genera was attained with ...
Abstract: The discovery of the honeybee-specific ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in South Africa in October 1997 raised the spectre of massive honeybee colony losses as has occurred in most parts of the world where the varroa mite has been found. This was particularly concerning in Africa because of the importance of honeybees in the pollination of indigenous and commercial crops, and because of the numbers of small-scale beekeepers in Africa. The mite has now spread throughout South Af...
Abstract: Termites are considered to be major ecosystem engineers in tropical and sub-tropical environments, and fire in savanna systems is regarded as a major and necessary disturbance for the maintenance of biodiversity. However, most fire ecology studies have focused on vegetation dynamics with little attention given to other taxa, especially invertebrates. This thesis has addressed several aspects of savanna termite ecology. First, based on a review of studies examining the relationship ...
Abstract: The systematic status and geographic distribution of spiny mice of the genus Acomys I. Geoffroy, 1838 in northern Tanzania is uncertain. This study assesses the systematic and geographic distribution of Acomys from northern Tanzania using a multidisciplinary approach that includes molecular, cytogenetic, traditional and geometric morphometric analyses, and classical morphology of the same individuals. The molecular analysis was based on 1140 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial cyt...
Abstract: At its inception, taxonomy simply provided guidelines for nomenclature. It has since developed into a science applied to problems relating to economics, conservation and even law. Taxonomy is arguably one of the most important pillars of the biological sciences, providing the framework from which all other studies are conducted. We expand this essential foundation by describing four new species of Trox in Chapter 2 of this dissertation - the first to be recorded in South Africa sin...
Abstract: Captive multi-mammate mice, Mastomys natalensis, were paired and kept on one of three treatment diets (low, medium and high protein) in order to assess differential maternal investment in the sexes, and sex-specific resource allocation of offspring. The influence of maternal dietary protein content on maternal reproductive performance, sex-specific body composition of pups and pup growth from birth to weaning was determined. Mothers on the high protein diet were larger than those o...