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The genera Colpixys and Xiphentedon are revised. Both genera are of Afrotropical distribution and are very similar to Entedon, but distinguished by a median strip or furrow on the propodeum replacing the median carina of Entedon. The genus Xiphentedon is characterized by the complete lateral propodeal sulci delimiting convex submedian areas, prosternum with a flange, axillula with indentate projection, and densely hairy central mesopectus. The subgenus Cederholmia Gumovsky, 1997 of Entedon is considered a junior synonym of Xiphentedon, so two of its species are moved to the genus as X. halli (Gumovsky, 1997) comb. nov. and X. danielssoni (Gumovsky, 1997) comb. nov. The genus Colpixys is characterized by the lack of characters of Xiphentedon, but also by the broadly sculptured propodeum with the deep median furrow delimited laterally by two sinuous margins. Three (one new) species are recognized in Colpixys and sixteen (thirteen new) species allocated to three groups (kayovei, danielssoni and forceps), are assigned to Xiphentedon. The new species are: Colpixys eburnus sp. nov. from Ivory Coast and the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Xiphentedon neserorum sp. nov. from RSA, X. simoni sp. nov. from Tanzania, X. dewittei sp. nov. and X. musimba sp. nov. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), X. jeanyvesi sp. nov. from Tanzania, the Central African Republic (CAR) and RSA, X. wieringai sp. nov. from Gabon and Ivory Coast, X. kivuensis sp. nov. from DRC, X. palabora sp. nov. from RSA, X. sangha sp. nov. from CAR, X. nimba sp. nov. from Guinea, X. forceps sp. nov. from Ivory Coast, Benin and RSA, X. gerardi sp. nov. from Benin, DRC and RSA, and X. acutigena sp. nov. from Ivory Coast, DRC, Tanzania and RSA. Morphological peculiarities and possible relationships of Colpixys, Xiphentedon, Entedon and some other genera, are discussed.
A synthesis of the Phaeogenini occurring in the Afrotropical region is provided. Three species are newly described: Centeterichneumon nambi Dal Pos, Diller & Di Giovanni sp. nov. from Uganda, Chauvinia ganota Claridge sp. nov. from Kenya, and Kibalus nonnaritae Dal Pos & Di Giovanni sp. nov. from Uganda. Heterischnus mfongosi Rousse & van Noort, 2013 is newly recorded for Kenya and Tanzania and the male of the species is diagnosed for the first time. Also, the female of Arearia oxymoron Rousse & van Noort, 2013 is diagnosed for the first time from one of the paratype localities. Lusius tenuissimus (Heinrich, 1938) and Chauvinia nyanga Rousse & van Noort, 2013 are recorded for the first time for Uganda and Kenya, respectively. In addition, new localities are given for Chauvinia nitida (Heinrich, 1938), Heterischnus olsoufieffi (Heinrich, 1938) and Hoplophaeogenes curticornis Heinrich, 1938. A new combination, Nesostenodontus mkomazi (Rousse & van Noort, 2013) comb. nov., is proposed to accommodate Heterischnus mkomazi. An updated key to the Afrotropical genera of Phaeogenini and keys to the Afrotropical species of the genera Arearia Seyrig, Centeterichneumon Heinrich, Chauvinia Heinrich, Heterischnus Heinrich, Hoplophaeogenes Heinrich, Kibalus Rousse, van Noort & Diller, and Lusius Tosquinet are provided. Updated online Lucid keys to genera and species are available from http://www.waspweb.org.
The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated global health inequities, leading for calls for responses to COVID to promote social justice and ensure that no one is left behind. One key lesson to be learnt from the pandemic is the critical importance of decolonizing global health and global health research so that African countries are better placed to address pandemic challenges in contextually relevant ways. This paper argues that to be successful, programmes of decolonization in complex global health landscapes require a complex three-dimensional approach. Drawing on the broader discourse of political decolonization that has been going on in the African context for over a century, we present a model for unpacking the complex task of decolonization. Our approach suggests a three-dimensional approach which encompasses hegemomic; epistemic; and commitmental elements.
The formerly monotypic genus Paranecepsia Radcl.-Sm. is expanded with the description and illustration of a second species, Paranecepsia andrafiabensis Barberá & O.Lachenaud sp. nov. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of plastid rbcL and trnL-F data confirm a sister relationship between the new species and P. alchorneifolia Radcl.-Sm., as members of the alchorneoids clade. Paranecepsia andrafiabensis sp. nov. is notable for expanding the character states for the genus (now including both 2- and 3-locular ovary species) and broadening the geographic range of the genus from continental Africa to Madagascar. The new species adds to the diverse karst limestone endemics of northwestern Madagascar, where it has a very restricted distribution at the base of the western wall of the Ankarana tsingy. An amended generic description of Paranecepsia and a key to the species are also presented. Paranecepsia andrafiabensis sp. nov. is provisionally assessed as VU D1 based on the IUCN Red List criteria.
We report a new myxozoan, Myxobolus opsaridiumi sp. nov., infecting the ornamental fish Opsaridium ubangiensis (Pellegrin, 1901) collected from the Anga River near the city of Yaounde, Cameroon. Plasmodia were found in the skin, muscles and spleen. The overall prevalence of infection was 54.7% (288 parasitized fish out of 526 examined). The myxospores were ovoid to subspherical in frontal view and lenticular in lateral view. The valves were symmetrical and relatively thick, without edge markings. The myxospore measurements were 10.7 ± 0.14 (10–11.5) μm long, 9 ± 0.15 (8–10) μm wide and 6.2 ± 0.7 (5.6–7.2) μm thick. The two ovoid polar capsules were equal in size, converging and opening together at the anterior end, measuring 5 ± 0.07 (4.3–6.0) μm long and 2.7 ± 0.07 (2.2–3.0) μm wide. Polar filaments were coiled from 5 to 7 turns. Histopathological analysis revealed no inflammatory reaction associated with the infection. A BLAST search found that the newly obtained 18 rDNA sequence had a low sequence similarity with available sequences for Myxobolus on GenBank. A phylogenetical analysis based on ribosomal DNA partial sequences showed that M. opsaridiumi sp. nov. is closely associated with several species of Myxobolus infecting cyprinid fish.
The taxonomic status of the widely distributed freshwater crab Potamonautes lirrangensis (Rathbun, 1904) sensu lato is revised because morphological and molecular evidence indicates that this taxon is a complex comprising more than one species. Four taxa are now recognized: Potamonautes lirrangensis (Rathbun, 1904) s. str. and P. kisangani sp. nov. from the Middle Congo River in Central Africa, P. amosae sp. nov. from the drainages of Lakes Kivu and Tanganyika, and P. orbitospinus (Cunnington, 1907) from Lake Malawi which had been previously synonymised with P. lirrangensis s. lat. Diagnoses, illustrations and distribution maps are provided for each of these taxa and they are compared to similar species from Central and Southern Africa.
Streblopus Van Lansberge, 1874 has been one of the most mysterious dung beetle groups of the Neotropical fauna, having a rather peculiar morphology, very few known specimens in collections and a difficult placement among the scarabaeine lineages. In this work, based on the examination of a recently collected series of specimens and a synthesis of some scattered, but deeply valuable, information available in the literature, we readdress many of the questions posed by past authors. It is shown that Streblopus is a relict genus composed of two currently living species of widely disjunct distribution, namely S. opatroides Van Lansberge, 1874, from patches of Atlantic Forest in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, and S. punctatus (Balthasar, 1938), known from a few localities across Sub-Andean humid forests in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon Forest. We redescribe both and present in detail the evidence pointing to their validity as two independent species; a discussion of their remarkable sexual dimorphism is also given. The biogeography of Streblopus in South America is addressed, and we conclude that the present disjunct distribution of the genus is a consequence of the retreat of the tropical forest corridors that once connected the Atlantic Forest to the Amazon Basin through the South American Dry Diagonal during several periods of the Neogene, particularly until the Middle Miocene. Finally, we propose an African origin for the genus based on its close phylogenetic relationship with a group of Old World taxa ‒ particularly Circellium Latreille, 1825 and Scarabaeini. Having diverged from those groups in the late Upper Cretaceous, we argue that the ancestor of Streblopus arrived in South America crossing the Atlantic Ocean by rafting. We present a synthesis of data from a wide variety of biological groups to support our ideas and contend that long-distance dispersal hypotheses should be taken more seriously by scarab beetle specialists.
Five new species of Hercostomus Loew, 1857 from Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania and South Africa are described and illustrated. They belong to the Hercostomus longiventris lineage, which also appears similar to the Palaearctic H. chetifer subgroup and the Oriental H. takagii and H. absimilis groups on the basis of the modified male fore tarsus. The male cercus of almost all Afrotropical species is remarkable in having ventral processes or projections and are conditionally divided into H. nectarophagus and H. perturbus subgroups on the basis of the presence of one or two ventral projections on the cercus, respectively. Hercostomus brandbergensis sp. nov. and H. fedotovae sp. nov. are associated with the H. nectarophagus subgroup; H. koshelevae sp. nov., H. vikhrevi sp. nov., and H. sanipass sp. nov. are associated with the H. perturbus subgroup. The new species differ by fine structures of the male fore tarsus, cercus and postgonite. An identification key to males of 23 Afrotropical species of Hercostomus is compiled for the first time. New records are given for some known species.
The 'D. bakoue species complex' Rafael, 1984 ('D. montium species group' Da Lage et al., 2007) comprises seven Afrotropical species. Using complete mitochondrial genome sequences and detailed morphological analysis, we revised thephylogenetic relationships between these species including two new ones. We found the 'D. bakoue species complex' to be a junior synonym of the 'D. seguyi species complex' Lachaise, 1971 and its seven species polyphyletic. We thus classified the species into three complexes, the 'D. seguyi species complex' comprises D. seguyi Smart, 1945, D. malagassya Tsacas & Rafael, 1982, D. curta Chassagnard & Tsacas, 1997 and D. chocolata sp. nov., the new 'D. tsacasi species complex' comprises D. tsacasi Bock & Wheeler, 1972 and D. seguyiana Chassagnard & Tsacas, 1997, and the new 'D. vulcana species complex' comprises D. vulcana Graber, 1957 and D. mylenae sp. nov. Drosophila bakoue Tsacas & Lachaise, 1974 could not be assigned to any of the defined complexes. The two new species are endemic to Madagascar and we report the presence of D. seguyi and D. curta in Mayotte and Madagascar, respectively. The results hence represent a significant step towards understanding the diversity and evolution of this species group in Africa and the islands of the Western Indian Ocean.
Adults of three known species of Ochodaeus Dejean (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae) in Madagascar have a strongly granulate pronotum. Three new species are described herein that have a smooth or weakly granulate pronotum: Ochodaeus modopunctatus, O. polypollicatus, and O. meandrus. A key to the species of Ochodaeus from Madagascar is provided.
Three new species of Ochodaeus Dejean (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae) from Madagascar are described that have a strongly granulate pronotum and, unlike all previously described species from the country, possess a clypeal tubercle or minute horn: O. meridialis, O. umbonulus, and O. iniquipes. An update to the key to the species of Ochodaeus from Madagascar is provided.
The described Afrotropical species of the genus Hexophthalma Karsch, 1879 (under the genus name Sicarius Walckenaer, 1847), of the spider family Sicariidae Keyserling, 1880, were recently reviewed. In the present paper the Afrotropical species of the genus Hexophthalma are revisited. After a thorough examination of all the available specimens from nine major collections, the species H. testacea (Purcell, 1908) is here synonymized with H. hahni (Karsch, 1878), three new species are described – H. binfordae sp. nov., H. goanikontesensis sp. nov. (both from Namibia) and H. leroyi sp. nov. (from South Africa) – and the male of H. dolichocephala (Lawrence, 1928) is described for the first time. The distribution of the species is also revised and a new updated key to the species is compiled.
Chigger mites of the African continent are reviewed using data acquired from the literature and examination of the collections deposited at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium) and the Natural History Museum (London, UK). All findings for 443 valid chigger species belonging to 61 genera are reported, along with details on their collection locality and host species. Three new synonyms are proposed: Straelensia Vercammen-Grandjean & Kolebinova, 1968 (= Anasuscuta Brown, 2009 syn. nov.); Herpetacarus (Herpetacarus) Vercammen-Grandjean, 1960 (= Herpetacarus (Lukoschuskaaia) Kolebinova & Vercammen-Grandjean, 1980 syn. nov.); Gahrliepia brennani (Jadin & Vercammen-Grandjean, 1952) (= Gahrliepia traubi Audy, Lawrence & Vercammen-Grandjean, 1961 syn. nov.). A new replacement name is proposed: Microtrombicula squirreli Stekolnikov, 2017 nom. nov. pro Eltonella myonacis heliosciuri Vercammen-Grandjean, 1965 (praeocc. Vercammen-Grandjean, 1965). Ninety new combinations are proposed. Keys to subfamilies, genera and subgenera of African trombiculid larvae and diagnoses of these taxa are given.
A new genus and species of owlfly from eastern and southern Africa (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae)
(2018)
The genus Dorsomitus Tjeder, 1992, is considered a nomen nudum. Dorsomitus gen. nov. is described and validated here. A new combination, Dorsomitus neavei (Kimmins, 1949) gen. et comb. nov. is proposed, Dorsomitus tjederi gen. et sp. nov. is described, and Disparomitus neavei Kimmins, 1949, is designated as type species of the genus Dorsomitus gen. nov.
Based on a study of 2150 specimens of the genus Trechus Clairville, 1806 from the Bale Mts, Mount Chillalo, and Mount Enkuolo, southern Ethiopia, the current knowledge regarding systematics and distribution of the genus in the area is summarized. Twenty-six new species are described and figured in detail: Trechus abalkhasimi sp. nov. (southeastern slope of Bale Mts, below Mt Abalkhasim); T. adaba sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Adaba); T. angavoensis sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Dodola); T. balesilvestris sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Adaba); T. bombi sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. colobus sp. nov. (western Bale Mts); T. depressipennis sp. nov. (northeastern margin of Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mts); T. dodola sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Dodola); T. fisehai sp. nov. (northern slope of Bale Mts, above Goba); T. grandipennis sp. nov. and T. hagenia sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. haggei sp. nov. (northeastern margin of Sanetti Plateau); T. harenna sp. nov. and T. harryi sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. iridescens sp. nov. (southeastern slope of Bale Mts, below Mt Abalk-hasim); T. mattisi sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. mekbibi sp. nov. (southern and western part of Bale Mts); T. minitrechus sp. nov. (northeastern slope of Mt Enkuolo); T. nanulus sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. nigrifemoralis sp. nov. and T. oppositus sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Dodola); T. rira sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, upper Rira Valley); T. sanettii sp. nov. (southeastern slope of Sanetti Plateau, Bale Mts); T. tragelaphus sp. nov. (western Bale Mts, above Dodola); T. transversicollis sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, Harenna Forest); T. wiersbowskyi sp. nov. (southern escarpment of Bale Mts, upper Rira Valley). New distributional data are provided for T. baleensis (Basilewsky, 1974), T. bastianinii Magrini & Sciaky, 2006, T. batuensis Magrini & Sciaky, 2006, T. chillalicus Jeannel, 1936, T. clarkeianus (Basilewsky, 1974), T. culminicola Jeannel, 1936, T. ericalis Magrini, Quéinnec & Vigna Taglianti, 2013, T. gallorites Jeannel, 1936, T. gypaeti Vigna Taglianti & Magrini, 2010, T. oromiensis Magrini, Quéinnec & Vigna Taglianti, 2012, T. relictus Magrini, Quéinnec & Vigna Taglianti, 2012 and T. rotundicollis (Basilewsky, 1974). Cothresia robini Basilewsky, 1974 is considered a junior synonym of T. chillalicus Jeannel, 1936. A key to all species known to occur in the Bale Mts and adjacent volcanos is presented.
In the Global South, private corporations and development aid programs are widely implementing information and communication technology (ICT). Stakeholders export infrastructure (including satellites, drones, and white spaces technology) as well as mobile and internet services (mobile money services, zero-rating), following the proclaimed goal to close the global digital divide. They particularly target under-connected regions in Africa, as Africa shows the lowest levels of internet connectivity (cf. International Telecommunications Union 2017). According to companies and development aid programs, these digitalization efforts in the Global South are key to development and security. However, an ethical perspective points to concerns about the practice of digitalization in the Global South. One central concern is that certain values are inscribed in ICT, and that they may be indirectly implemented through technology in the importing countries. Thus, the export of ICT by Western companies and development aid programs to the Global South may have a "neo-colonial" character. This raises ethical questions about global justice...
This paper revises the genus Ganelius Benesh, which is endemic to Madagascar, in the stag beetle tribe Figulini Burmeister (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae). Species in the genus are striking in their highly sexually dimorphic mandibles, a character that rarely occurs in the tribe. The genus was previously comprised of four species, but three of these names were problematic or questionably applied. A lectotype is designated for G. madagascariensis Laporte, a neotype is designated for Ganelius oberndorferi Nonfried, and Nigidius passaliformis Benesh is newly synonymized with G. oberndorferi. Two new species, G. gnamptus Paulsen and G. zombi Paulsen, are described from western Madagascar. The identity of the overlooked Ganelius nageli (Kriesche) is fixed through a neotype designation, and the species is moved to the new genus Agnelius, which is distinguished from Ganelius by a lack of sexual dimorphism, serrate protibiae, and a more flattened body.
Species identification of adult African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance
(2017)
Necrophagous blowflies can provide an excellent source of evidence for forensic entomologists and are also relevant to problems in public health, medicine, and animal health. However, access to useful information about these blowflies is constrained by the need to correctly identify the flies, and the poor availability of reliable, accessible identification tools is a serious obstacle to the development of forensic entomology in the majority of African countries. In response to this need, a high-quality key to the adults of all species of forensically relevant blowflies of Africa has been prepared, drawing on high-quality entomological materials and modern focus-stacking photomicroscopy. This new key can be easily applied by investigators inexperienced in the taxonomy of blowflies and is made available through a highly accessible online platform. Problematic diagnostic characters used in previous keys are discussed.
The African continent is regularly portrayed as an indolent space with a well-known reputation as a chaotic continent. Viewed as lacking vision, means and capacities, Africa is perceived at best as a place that is marked by a permanent status quo, stagnation, or in worst case scenarios, as a declining continent. Various references to the continent are synonymous with famine, poverty, war, etc. Such portrayals are all the more intriguing given that the continent is known for its abundant natural resources, such as timber, oil, natural gas, minerals, etc., whose reserves are, moreover, not well known both by the African people and their leaders. As a result, there is still much progress to be made in tapping into the resources in order to improve the daily lives of African citizens.
In such a context dominated by infantile carelessness throughout the continent, the interventions of actors from outside the continent are the only hopes of bringing some vitality to this continent which is cloaked in "la grande nuit – the great darkness" (Mbembé 2013). Thus during the main sequences of recent history, representing different forms of Western penetration and activity on the African continent (slavery, imperialism, colonization), all the Western world’s contributions have obviously not sufficed to boost Africa and take it out of its never ending childhood. It has remained just as passive and apathetic today as it was yesterday.
The attraction of Asian actors to the continent is even more recent. And consistent with its abovementioned indolence, Africa is seen as an easy and defenceless prey for the Korean, Japanese, Indian, Malaysian, or Chinese conquerors. In the latter case, the insatiable appetite for natural resources whose reserves are being rapidly depleted is the cornerstone of their foreign aid policy. This led China to colonize the continent, showing a preference for Pariah Regimes which held no appeal for the West, by sending an army of workers to extract those resources (Lum et al. 2009), in defiance of all national and international regulations and based on completely opaque contracts.
Although the concept of African Agency was rapidly developed in several African countries, the aim of this study was more specific to Cameroon’s mining sector in which different entrepreneurs from abroad got involved over time. The thesis investigates whether indigenous citizens took part in any way in the development of mining projects in the country. Thus, the work assesses and analyses actions and reactions initiated and undertaken by local people in the context of China’s presence within Cameroon’s mining sector to promote and advance their interests over those of foreign investors. In addition, the author has no knowledge of any other study investigating African Agency in the mining sector as a whole in Cameroon.
In conducting this study, a multi-method research framework was developed including a series of methods used to collect data and analyse concepts of African Agency associated Political Ecology as they developed within Cameroon’s mining sector. Specifically, those methods comprised quantitative research when it came to collecting data using a positivist and empirical approach constructed by deducing evidence from statistical data collected by means of the 167 questionnaire surveys administered to local inhabitants and workers randomly selected on mining sites and in riparian communities. The questionnaires helped to capture Cameroonians' perceptions of the recent phenomenon of the gradual but significant influx of international actors and precisely Chinese players in the mining sector on the one hand, and on the other hand, observational data was collected across the GVC as developed in the Betare-Oya region. As a complement to the former technique, qualitative methods helped to study and deepen understanding of human behaviour and the social world in a holistic perspective through individual interviews, focus groups, and direct observations on the ground. In addition, the spatial analysis method based on the land use classification technique served to detect changes to land use/land cover that have been brought on by mechanised mining activities undertaken in this region. The sequencing of data collected and their processing from a ground theory perspective led to the formulation and specification of Cameroon’s Ecological Agency theory.
One of the earliest steps of this work consisted in a literature review and in placing the African Agency concept in a broader context. It then led to the state of the art, specifications about research content of the work and the main theories undergirding this thesis. Before examining developments that emerged during the last decade, a historical perspective was provided to the topic in order to show how African societies started mining operations and how they dealt with foreign partners interested in their mining resources. The aim was to show that while Western imperialism presented a challenge for the sector, it did not erase local participation, even despite the constraints associated with such involvement.
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We revised the species of the genus Pristomerus Curtis, 1836 in the Afrotropical Region. Fortynine species are recognized, of which 31 are newly described. The following new species are described: P. afrikaner, P. aka, P. babinga, P. bemba, P. dikidiki, P. herero, P. hutu, P. kagga, P. khoikhoi, P. kuku, P. masai, P. mbaka, P. mbama, P. mboum, P. nzakara, P. protea, P. restio, P. san, P. sara, P. sotho, P. swahili, P. teke, P. tutsi, P. venda, P. wolof, P. xhosa, P. yakoma, P. yangere, P. yoccolo, P. zande and P. zulu spp. nov. New synonyms: P. africator, P. cunctator and P. luteolus are new junior synonyms of P. pallidus. New records: new host records are reported for the widespread P. pallidus; new country-level distribution records are added for P. bullis, P. keyka, P. kelikely and P. pallidus; and reports of Trathala concolor and P. veloma in South Africa are shown to have been erroneous. An illustrated dichotomous key to females is provided; an online Lucid interactive matrix key is also available at www.waspweb.org. Finally, the ecological and geographical correlates of colour patterns exhibited by Pristomerus in the Afrotropical region are discussed.