Transcript Document

South African Field trip October 2003
The first PBI
funded field
trip from the
13th of October
to the 21st of
November
included PI
Randall (Toby)
Schuh, Co-PI
Gerry Cassis &
Post-Doc
Christiane
Weirauch.
Dr. Christiane Weirauch
Dr. Randall T Schuh
Dr. Gerry Cassis
South Africa
The shaded area
shows where
plant bugs were
collected on this
trip.
The field team
visited the South
African Museum
in Cape Town
(shown here) after
having studied the
collections of the
Plant Protection
Research institute
in Pretoria.
The Compton
Herbarium at the
Kirstenbosch
Gardens, Cape
Town provided
host plant
identifications for
all material
collected in South
Africa.
Gerry &
Christiane
discuss
logistics of
upcoming
fieldwork at
the Little
Scotia
Guesthouse
in Cape
Town.
Gerry in the
field collecting
in typical
fynbos
vegetation on
the eastern
margin of False
Bay near Cape
Town.
Toby in the
field
collecting on
Pelargonium
cucullatum, a
rich host
group in the
Western
Cape.
Gerry &
Christiane
discussing their
catch during a
lunch break.
Gerry &
Christiane
organizing
collected
material in
the field.
The Quartz Fields,
southwest of
Kamieskroon in
north central
Namaqualand, an
area of endemism
in the local flora.
A granitic
outcrop
southeast of
Kamieskroon.
Such
environments
provided
excellent
collecting
opportunities
because of
their extensive
plant diversity.
Although the
vegetation in
Namaqualand may
appear dry and
inhospitable the
PBI team members
documented
substantial bug
diversity at this
and other similar
environments.
Vegetational
variation
encountered on
slopes and
“koppies” (seen in
the background of
this photo) revealed
the diversity of the
Namaqualand bug
fauna.
Sandvelt
vegetation,
dominated by
papilionoid
legumes, near
Clanwilliam. Such
environments were
a rich source of the
endemic plant bug
genus
Pseudosthenarus.
A montane
valley in the
Little Karoo
near Calitzdorp
provided a
graphic example
of the geologic
strata in the
Cape Fold
Mountains.
Widdringtonia, a
native genus of
Cupressaceae
from the fold
mountains of the
Western Cape,
host of the plant
bug genus
Widdringtonio and
other endemic
Heteroptera.
A white flowered
member of the
Mesembryanthema
ceae, host of the
endemic phyline
plant bug genus
Eminoculus.
A rain-shadowed
area on the
southern margins
of the Little Karoo,
that harbored an
unexpected
diversity of plant
bug species.
An area rich in
plant bug species
found feeding on
asteraceous
ground cover
(foreground),
Acacia karoo
(center) and the
loranthaceous
parasite, the last
serving as host
for an
undescribed
Hypseloecus
species.
Detailed view of
Oncosiphon
piliferum shown in
the previous slide.
A detailed view of the
flowers of Aspalathus
excelsa. Host of the
plant bug genus
Pseudosthenarus sp.
From the south coast
near Hermanus.
Dune vegetation in
the de Hoop Nature
Reserve on the
south coast.
The extensive
flowering in this
area provided a rich
source of plant bug
species.
Please see
collecting
demonstration
videos under
METHODS.
Pelargonium cucullatum
is a host of a new
species of phyline plant
bug with coloration
closely matching that of
the flowers
Trip Results:
• ~10,000 plant bugs collected
• At least 100 new species discovered
• ~260 host plants documented