Nelson Mandela was honoured when a new genus discovered in the animal world was named after him. The Mandela microcornata seaslug is found only on the Cape Peninsula coastline.
Microcornata is derived from the Latin ‘cornus’ (horn) and refers to the shape of the Peninsula. …………Porcupine Quill,
ADU (Avian Demography unit at the University of Cape Town) and SANBI (S. African National Biodiversity Institute) have teamed up again as major players in a new conservation assessment, which amongst other needs, serves as a basis for compiling red data lists in S. Africa, lesotho and Swaziland. The Bird Atlas Project was followed by the Frog Atlas project and SARCA, the reptile assessment project. The public are invited to participate by joining field trips and creating a virtual museum open to everyone with a digital camera and access to e-mail. A close up of a night adder may not be everyone’s cup of tea but everyone loves butterflies and the latest project, the South African Butterfly Conservation Assessment, is an opportunity to join in a nation wide programme. Some time ago I joined a photographic outing to Monkeyland and when I saw the EQUIPMENT being flashed about, disappeared into the undergrowth with my little digital-one-lens camera. Don’t despair. Of course there will be stunning pics by the boffs with EQUIPMENT but there will be other pics too. I’m submitting one of an orb spider lunching on an Autumn Widow (You don’t have to know the names - just the difference between a butterfly and a moth which the internet will teach you). Its an interesting view of which end of the butterfly serves as a straw for the predator. My pic will contribute to the pool of butterfly knowledge. Find the SABCA programme and links for submission details at http://sabca.adu.org.za The programme also offers field trips to the public. Regards, The OLD CURATOR. PS - if you’d like to know how to go about leaving a positive footprint at a reserve in Knysna, South Africa, foward your e-mail address to pledge@xsinet.co.za
A friend resident in England recently e-mailed a pic of a watecolour she’d done of the original English mistletoe, Viscum album. It could have been a painting of the South African species, capense. The occurrence of Yellowwood species in South Africa and Australia can be explained by Continental Drift afer the breaking up of the continents. What’s behind the occurrence behind similar species of Viscum in SA and the UK? A tantalising mystery simply inviting creative guesswork. The majority of Viscum species occur in tropical and temperate regions of the world. Of approximately 950 species, 30 occur in Madacascar and 45 in Africa of which 34 occur in southern Africa. Only 1 Viscum species occurs in Great Britain and other parts of Western Europe. 3 or more occur in the Garden Route alone. The stats suggest that the mistletoe originated in Africa from where it spread to other parts of the world? How? Perhaps seeds were windborne and the stronger ones survived, adapted to colder conditions and evolved into a new species. The idea of human involvement is far more interesting. The Viscum has medicinal properties and perhaps it travelled with early migrations from Africa to other parts of the world. Even more tantalising is the idea that it was included in the Queen of Sheba’s shopping list. There is conclusive evidence that her envoys shopped as far down as southern Africa. ……A delicious thought from the Old Curator. Botanists are invited to submit their views.
The small yellow flower asking to be flattened on a dusty path in Pledge Nature Reserve turned out to be the Moraea belendenii, one of 54/93 species endemic to the Western Cape. This region is probably the area of origin of Moreas. They are closely related to the well known iris but believed to have evolved independently from the Dietes, a genus exclusive to Africa. The corms were eaten by bushmen in the days of hunter-gathering.When I searched Morae on the internet, I found a company in Japan selling bulbs and an article about Moreas, written by a South African, in the Annals of the Missouri Botanical Gardens who are thinking about making single articles available for purchase. How about intellectual rights for plants?