Participation in SANBI forums

18 January 2017
In May, B.S. Muller participated in the SANBI Joint Biodiversity Information Management Forum (BIMF) & Foundational Biodiversity Information Programme (FBIP) Forum 2016, held at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town.  He co-facilitated and co-presented the georeferencing workshop held during the last two days.  The aim of the workshop was to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to georeference.

Researchers visit Entomology Department

18 January 2017
During March Prof. M. Coetzee (right) of Wits University spent a week in the department studying recently collected African mosquitoes.  At the same time G. Daniel, a PhD student from the University of Pretoria, studied the African dung beetles in the collection.

Manual of Afrotropical Diptera

18 January 2017
The Manual of Afrotropical Diptera project is a major initiative that involves scientists from around the world.  This major publication includes identification keys to all the fly genera occurring in the African tropics, as well as introductory chapters on fly biology.  Volume 1 (59 chapters) is scheduled for publication in the first half of 2017, and volumes 2 and 3 in 2018.

Visitor to Entomology

16 November 2016
Arianna Thomas, a PhD student from Universidad de Alicante, Spain, spent several weeks as a visitor to the Entomology Department studying our collection of Afrotropical Rhiniidae and Calliphoridae (Diptera). Such visits from foreign researchers highlight the significance of the Diptera collection internationally.

Re-storage of part of the Entomology collection

30 September 2016
The Entomology Department of the National Museum has a rapidly growing collection of Afrotropical flies, generated through recent field work excursions in Southern, Central and East Africa, comprising over 35 000 dry-pinned specimens, making this the second largest collection of flies in Africa.  The study of these specimens is being actively encouraged through the loan of material to specialist researchers worldwide, especially to contributors to the forthcoming Manual of Afrotropical Diptera.

In line with this development, the entire Diptera collection has now been re-housed in purpose-built glass-topped drawers with a new cardboard unit tray system.  This brings curation of the collection to international standards.  Three 40-drawer cabinets have been constructed and others will follow, allowing re-organising of the ants, bees, wasps, ant lions and true bugs.  This is linked to the transfer of existing collection information to the relational database Specify 6.

Entomology main collection

The insect (Insecta) collection consists of holdings originating as far back as 1802.  The specimens originate from 53 countries, most within the Afrotropical Region, with some representatives from the Nearctic and Palaearctic Regions.

The  Entomology Department was formally established on 1 May 1975, when Gunderico Wladimiro Santos Ferreira was employed at the National Museum. His wife Maria Corinta Ferreira was also employed by the Museum three months later. Both were Coleopterists, and their employment started the development of the Coleoptera collection. They left the Museum’s employment in 1979. A core collection of ca 1,500 Diptera was developed by subsequent museum scientists, including Schalk vd M. Louw, John A. Irish and Leon Nico Lotz, mainly as a result of surveys of Navel Hill and other hills in the central Bloemfontein area, but chiefly comprised a more extensive collection of spirit-preserved Hippoboscidae developed by Elize [Elsabé] Jacoba Visagie. Ashley H. Kirk-Spriggs took up the position of museum scientist from November 2008 to January 2019, with an emphasis on developing the Afrotropical Diptera collection. He was joined by Burgert Muller (Diptera taxonomist) in 2016. Gimo Daniel (Coleoptera taxonomist) replaced Kirk-Spriggs in 2019.

It is a unique research tool, as it comprises recent, high quality material from numerous poorly-sampled Afrotropical countries, including: Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Réunion Is., Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa (Eastern and Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State), Togo and Zambia. The collection also incorporates former collections of the Alexander McGregor Museum (Kimberley) and University of Pretoria collections of Diptera (both of which were formally donated in 2009).

At present (2021), the collection consists mainly of Diptera (25,968 specimens in 131,259 collection objects), Coleoptera (112,204 specimens and collection objects) with the remainder of the smaller orders making up 29637 specimens. The two main orders are managed on Specify 6 collections management software, with the smaller orders needing recuration and migration to the platform.

The majority of the collection is pinned and is stored in glass-topped drawers using a unit tray system. There is also an extensive spirit collection of Diptera with the majority of samples preserved in 96% ethanol.

Entomology type collection

This collection is an auxiliary of the main collection with the same history. The majority of the type material consists of Coleoptera described by G.W. Ferreira, M.C. Ferreira, S vd M. Louw and J. Irish.

It consists of a total of 95 primary types and 2038 secondary types, of which the majority is pinned or mounted.

Entomology types:

Zygentoma

Ctenolepisma boschimana Irish: holotype, 12 paratypes

Ctenolepisma karooensis Irish: holotype

Ctenolepisma lociplana Irish: holotype, 24 paratypes

Ctenolepisma messor Irish: holotype, 47 paratypes

Ctenolepisma orangica Irish: holotype, 1 paratype

Ctenolepisma ovsensis Irish: holotype, 16 paratypes

Ctenolepisma suliptera Irish: holotype, 52 paratypes

Thysanoptera

Aeolothrips carpobrotus Hartwig: 1 paratype

Dexiothrips pensus Hartwig: 1 paratype

Elaphrothrips medius Hartwig: 2 paratypes

Hypothrips onustus Hartwig: 2 paratypes

Melanthrips setariae Hartwig: 6 paratypes

Pseudodendrothrips ficus Hartwig: 1 paratype

Sericothrips rutitus: 6 paratypes

Coleoptera

Anthicidae

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) bilineatus van Hille: 5 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) bisbispinosus van Hille: holotype

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) bradfordi van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) brevitegminus van Hille: holotype

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) canthariphilus van Hille: 9 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) centralis van Hille: holotype, 1 paratype

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) chicarubiensis van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) fontium van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) forchhammeri van Hille: 11 paratype

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) magalensis van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) pedester van Hille: 4 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) perlucidus van Hille: 20 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) quartus van Hille: holotype

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) serowensis van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthicus (Alaucoderus) vaneei van Hille: holotype

Fromicomus omeri van Hille: 1 paratype

Notoxus arenarius van Hille: holotype, 1 paratype

Notoxus brevicornutus van Hille: holotype

Notoxus louwi van Hille: holotype

Notoxus walteri van Hille: 10 paratypes

Anthribidae (Anthribinae)

Apinotropis oberprieleri Frieser: 3 paratypes

Anthribidae (Urodontinae)

Breviurodon decellei Louw: 2 paratypes

Urodonotus tessellatus Louw: 2 paratypes

Urodontellus elongatus Louw: holotype

Urodontellus vicinialilii Louw: holotype, 2 paratypes

Urodontidius enigmaticus Louw: holotype, 1 paratype

Urodontus annameae Louw: holotype, 22 paratypes

Urodontus bellulus Louw: holotype, 69 paratypes

Urodontus glabratus Louw: holotype, 7 paratypes

Urodontus inconstans Louw: holotype. 44 paratypes

Urodontus kapkapensis Louw: holotype, 30 paratypes

Urodontus mesemoides Louw: holotype, 93 paratypes

Urodontus planicollis Louw: 3 paratypes

Urodontus pullatus Louw: 1 paratype

Urodontus robustus Louw: holotype, 3 paratypes

Urodontus rubrus Louw: holotype, 6 paratypes

Urodontus scholtzi Louw: holotype, 14 paratypes

Urodontus splendidus Louw: holotype, 7 paratypes

Urodontus tessellatus Louw: holotype, 67 paratypes

Urodontus vulpiputeus Louw: holotype, 13 paratypes

Buprestidae

Augrabies schotiaphaga Bellamy: holotype, 1 paratype

Cupriscobina loranthae Bellamy: 2 paratypes

Galbella hantamensis Bellamy: 1 paratype

Lepidoclema parva Bellamy: 1 paratype

Neojulodis purpurescens Holm & Gussmann: 1 paratype

Cerambycidae

Cordylomera parva Ferreira: holotype

Crinarnoldius xavieri Ferreira: 1 paratype

Crossotus xiluvensis Ferreira: holotype, allotype

Delochilus tookei Ferreira: 3 paratypes

Dichostathes freyi Ferreira: holotype

Dichostathes proximus Ferreira: holotype

Eunidia bomfordi bipunctata Ferreira: holotype

Eunidia bomfordi bomfordi Ferreira: holotype

Eunidia maputensis Ferreira: 1 paratype

Eunidia obliquefasciata Ferreira: 1 paratype

Tragiscoschema nigroscriptum Ferreira: 1 paratype

Tragocephala ducalis var mocambicensis Ferreira: 1 syntype

Tragocephala variegata pseudopunctata Ferreira: 1 syntype

Zamium villosum Ferreira: 2 paratypes

Chrysomelidae

Trichaspis louwi Borowiec: holotype, 6 paratypes

Phoenicodera robusta Medvedev: holotype

Protoclytra braunsi Medvedev: 1 paratype

Smaragdina louwi Medvedev: holotype, 4 paratypes

Cicadellidae

Jannius mecus Theron: 1 paratype

Pratura graminea Theron: 2 paratypes

Salsolicola calvinia Theron: 1 paratype

Tetartostylus phacometopus Theron: 1 paratype

Tortotettix dispar Theron: 1 paratype

Coccinellidae

Epipleura louwi Fürsch: holotype, 6 paratypes

Curculionidae

Trigonoscuta kelsoensis Pierce: 2 paratypes

Proscephaladeres foveicollis van Schalkwyk: 2 paratypes

Proscephaladeres griseus van Schalkwyk: 2 paratypes

Protostrophus fulgidus van Schalkwyk: 2 paratypes

Afroleptops coetzeei Oberprieler: 4 paratypes

Afroleptops proteophilus Oberprieler: 2 paratypes

Brachytrachelus prinslooi Oberprieler: 2 paratypes

Brachytrachelus pseudopatrinus Oberprieler: 1 paratype

Episus cylindrus Louw: 4 paratypes

Episus endroedyi Louw: allotype, 1 paratype

Episus exilis Louw: 4 paratypes

Episus holmi Louw: 4 paratypes

Episus occidentalis Louw: holotype, allotype, 5 paratypes

Episus saritae Louw: 2 paratypes

Microcerus attenuarus Louw: 7 paratypes

Microcerus bicolor Louw: 6 paratypes

Microcerus gracilis Louw: 7 paratypes

Microcerus marshalli Louw: 9 paratypes

Microcerus melancholicus Gyllenhal: 1 neotype

Hyomora galenoides Louw: holotype, allotype

Sibinia laeta Caldara: 4 paratypes

Sibinia problematica Caldara: 5 paratypes

Tychius oberpreleri Caldara: 2 paratypes

Glaresidae

Glaresis walziae Scholtz: 1 paratype

Lycaenidae

Aslauga australis Cottrell: holotype

Malachiidae

Calotes maraisi Wittmer: 22 paratypes

Colotes louwi Wittmer: holotype, 661 paratype

Colotes pseudochloropterus Wittmer: holotypem 11 paratype

Melyridae

Sphinginopalpus leucosides Wittmer: holotype

Ptinidae

Damarus magnus Irish: 2 paratypes

Stethomezium nooitgedag Irish: holotype, 26 paratypes

Scarabaeidae (Aphodiinae)

Aphodius periculosus Bordat: 6 paratypes

Rhyssemus roerin: 1 paratype

Rhyssemus transvaalensis: 1 paratype

Scarabaeidae (Canthoninae)

Byrrhidium convexum Howden & Scholtz: 2 paratypes

Odontoloma apiculum Howden & Scholtz: holotype, 1 paratype

Odontoloma louwi Howden & Scholtz: 1 paratype

Odontoloma peckorum Howden & Scholtz: 10 paratypes

Scarabaeidae (Dynastinae)

Heteronychus brittoni Ferreira: 1 paratype

Orsilochus kochi Ferreira: 1 paratype

Oryctodontoschema grandulentus Ferreira: 1 syntype

Scarabaeidae (Melolonthinae)

Glyptoglossa acta Evans: 1 paratype

Glyptoglossa capensis Evans: 1 paratype

Sparrmania acicula Evans: 3 paratypes

Sparrmania ursina Evans: 8 paratypes

Scarabaeidae (Scarabaeinae)

Catharsius brittoni Ferreira: 1 paratype

Catharsius chinai Ferreira: 1 paratype

Catharsius fastidiosus Thomson: 1 plesiotype

Catharsius mossambicanus Ferreira: 1 paratype

Catharsius saegeri Ferreira: 1 paratype

Copris dracunculus Ferreira: 1 paratype

Copris vilhenai Ferreira: 1 paratype

Heteroclitopus freyi Ferreira: 1 paratype

Litocopris freyi Ferreira: 1 syntype

Metacarthasius dentinum Ferreira: 1 paratype

Metacatharsius bidentatus Ferreira: 2 paratypes

Metacatharsius rochai Ferreira: 2 paratypes

Metacatharsuis pseudoopacus Ferreira: 20 paratypes

Metacatharsius pumilioniformis Ferreira: 1 paratype

Onitis adriani Ferreira: 1 paratype

Onitis parasulcipennis Ferreira: 2 paratypes

Pachysoma gariepinus Ferreira: 2 paratypes

Tenebrionidae

Cryptochile angulicollis Penrith: holotype, 3 paratypes

Cryptochile arcuata Penrith: 3 paratypes

Cryptochile digitalis Penrith: 2 paratypes

Cryptochile namaquana Penrith: 2 paratypes

Horatoma angulata Penrith: 1 paratype

Horatoma minuta Penrith: holotype, 6 paratypes

Horatoma striata Penrith: 1 paratype

Syntyphlus namaquensis Penrith: 24 paratypes

Tarsocnodes albarenarum Penrith: holotype

Zophosis lapillorum Penrith: holotype, 2 paratypes

Diptera

Agromyzidae

Phytomya meridionalis Lonsdale: 16 paratype

Asilidae

Empodiodes torridus Londt: holotype

Neolophonotus anguicolis Londt: holotype

Neolophonotus junodis Londt: 2 paratypes

Neolophonotus schalki Londt: holotype, 1 paratype

Neolophonotus schoemani Londt: 1 paratype

Pilophoneus analogos Londt: holotype, 7 paratypes

Trichoura mesochora Londt: 5 paratypes

Caliphoridae

Bengalia floccosa Rognes: Neotype

Curtonotidae

Curtonotum bicuspis Kirk-Spriggs: 28 paratypes

Curtonotum tsacas Kirk-Spriggs: 6 paratypes

Curtonotum unicuspis Kirk-Spriggs: 13 paratypes

Cyrtona biko Kirk-Spriggs: 5 paratypes

Cyrtona haddad Kirk-Spriggs: 10 paratypes

Cyrtona harena Kirk-Spriggs: 1 paratype

Cyrtona mann Kirk-Spriggs: 4 paratypes

Cyrtona riversmoor Kirk-Spriggs: 10 paratypes

Cyrtona villet Kirk-Spriggs: 14 paratypes

Dolichopodidae

Tenuopus bururiensis Grichanov: holotype

Tenuopus kirkspriggsi Grichanov: holotype

Hippoboscidae

Lipoptena annalizeae Visagie: holotype, 100 paratypes

Lonchaeidae

Earomyia spriggsi MacGowan: holotype

Fulgenta bilobata Macgowan: holotype

Fulgenta setiphallus Macgowan: holotype

Silba burundi MacGowan: holotype

Silba subvirescens MacGowan: holotype

Muscidae

Coenosia duomaculata Couri: 9 paratypes

Coenosia flagelliseta Muller: holotype, allotype

Coenosia fragilis Couri: holotype, 1 paratype

Coenosia nigromaculata Couri: holotype, 1 paratype

Helina ferfriniorum Couri: holotype, 1 paratype

Helina harrisorum Couri: holotype, 100 paratypes

Hydrotaea tantula Couri: holotype, paratype

Limnophora antennalis Couri: holotype, 25 paratypes

Limnophora diminuta Couri: holotype, 1 paratype

Spilogona bella Couri: holotype, 4 paratypes

Spilogona brunnea Couri: holotype, 4 paratypes

Pipunculidae

Prochyliza ignifera Martin-Vega: 2 paratypes

Sepsidae

Meroplius burundi Ozerov: holotype

Sphaeroceridae

Afrolimosina albitarsis Papp: holotype, 6 paratypes

Dudaia communis Papp: 1 paratype

Norrbomia paragravis Papp: holotype, 13 paratypes

Paralimosina australis Papp: 1 paratype

Paralimosina heteroneura Papp: 2 paratypes

Syrphidae

Spheginobaccha pamela Thompson: holotype, 1 paratype

Thaumaleidae

Afrothaumalea stuckenbergi Sinclair: holotype, 9 paratypes

Lepidoptera

Pseudonympha fulhami Stevenson: 1 paratype

LOAN CONDITIONS & NOTES

The Borrower by signing the receipt for this loan agrees:

1. To take care of the borrowed material and to maintain it in a secure and pest-free environment for the duration of the loan.

2. To obtain prior permission from the Lender (National Museum, Bloemfontein) for all dissection/disassembling or other treatment of material, except where such treatment is the normal and necessary practice for the study or maintenance of such material. All dissected/disassembled parts must be retained with the specimens and returned, either attached to or in a vial with the source specimen, or labelled in such a manner to allow easy association of parts with source specimens.

3. To retain all labels and accession numbers on all borrowed specimens/objects.

4. In the case of revisionary work, where practical, to place a clear identification label on each individual specimen. Types especially should be clearly and distinctly labelled as such.

5. Not to forward any specimens to a third party, without the prior permission of the Lender.

6. To inform the Lender of any change of address of the Borrower.

7. To return material on or before the expiry date of the loan, or to request an extension to the loan period.

8. To ensure that specimens are properly and safely packed for return shipment.

9. To return material by registered air parcel delivery service or in the case of types, courier service.

10. To return all loaned material. Should the Borrower wish to retain duplicate specimens¹, or deposit duplicate specimens in other collections, permission should be requested from the Lender, e.g. by sending a list of desired material prior to the return of the loan. All such requests shall be considered on merit. Prior permission must be obtained should the Borrower wish to deposit secondary types in the collections of other institutions. Permission for the deposition of secondary types in private collections is usually not granted. In no case is the retention of primary types or other unique material allowed.

11. Copyright laws may apply to photographic and printed materials. When in doubt, please consult with the respective Curator.

12. To provide the Lender with a pdf file or otherwise two reprints of publications based wholly or in part on borrowed material.

NOTES

A. Material is lent to bona fide researchers or users at the discretion of the National Museum, Bloemfontein.

B. Specimens are only lent to graduate students via their respective Supervisors, and the safe keeping and return of such material is ultimately that Supervisors’ responsibility. Prior arrangements must be made and agreed for such loans.

C. Specimens will normally only be lent to individuals associated with a recognised institution. Loans to private individuals are at the discretion of the Curator concerned.

D. Analytical techniques on accessioned material, which may cause irreversible damage or destruction, are usually not allowed unless pre-stipulated, and ensuring that there is duplicate material. This may not be undertaken to holotypes. If in doubt consult the Lender.

E. Please use the international coden BMSA when referring to the National Museum’s collections in print².

F. Please quote accession numbers when referring to specific items from the National Museum’s collections in print.

G. Before publishing new entomological taxa, please obtain BMSA type numbers if available for each taxon from the Lender. Please publish these numbers with the descriptions.

H. A list of the species and number of specimens in each species (with catalogue numbers where applicable) with return shipment would be appreciated.

I. Blatant non-compliance with the loan conditions may lead to at least the loss of future loan privileges by the Borrower and /or the Borrower’s institution.

¹A duplicate specimen specifically refers to specimen/s of the same species collected at the same locality, on the same date and by the same collecting methodology.

²Includes the insect collection of the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum, Kimberley and the Diptera collection of the Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Pretoria (both of which were formerly donated to the National Museum, Bloemfontein in 2009.