𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐙𝐮𝐥𝐮-𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐨!

Meet 𝗡𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘄𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗸𝘂𝘇𝗮, a BSc Honours in Zoology graduate from the University of Zululand, who recently joined the KwaZulu-Natal Museum as a Research Technician (Mollusca) in the Natural Science Department. As a Research Technician, Mary's duties involve taking care of the Mollusca collection, procuring curatorial material, supporting researchers, creating a database for new specimens, and updating the existing database, as well as managing loans and all additions to the molluscan collection.

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, "𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻."

#kznmuseum #womensmonth #womenatthemuseum #staff #staffappreciation #feature #researchtechnician 

Rare fly found in South Africa after 160 years

We know very little about most insects, probably because there are so many species out there. Scientists are still busy discovering new species of insect, and some estimate that over 90% of the animals on Earth are insects! Naturally, some of these species are very rare, so rare that we do not even expect to see them when we do fieldwork. While collecting insects in King Cetshwayo District Municipality last year, Dr John Midgley (KZN Museum) and Dr Terence Bellingan (Albany Museum) collected three strange-looking flies. After identifying them, it turned out to be the first time in 160 years that this species had been found in South Africa!

This species, Meromacroides meromacriformis, was first collected somewhere in KwaZulu-Natal between 1854 and 1858. Labels on old specimens often lack details that we include today, in this case just a collector’s name and “South Africa”. From the collector’s name, Dr Midgley was able to track the dates he was in South Africa and the areas he visited. The species has only been collected 27 times in total (including the three recent specimens), but ranges from KwaZulu-Natal in the south, through central Africa to Kenya in the North East and Benin in the North West. This suggests that it is widespread but in quite low densities, and probably only occurs in old forests where suitable trees occur for its larvae to develop.

Information on the species has recently been published in our museum journal, a collaboration between the KZN Museum, Albany Museum, AfricaMuseum and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, and is available here: https://africaninvertebrates.pensoft.net/article/68360/

Bellingan TA, Midgley JM, Goergen G, Jordaens K (2021) Notes on the Afrotropical hover fly genus Meromacroides Curran (Syrphidae, Eristalinae). African Invertebrates 62: 383–397.

Meromacroides 

Meromacroides

#flies #diptera #hoverflies

@africaninvertebrates @museumalbany @africamuseumbe @IITA_CGIAR

@africamuseumbe @IITA_CGIAR