Adrian John Armstrong

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife - Scientific Services · Biodiversity & Social Ecological Research

Monitored populations of the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus at the southern end of its distribution, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, are largely in decline. Trophy hunting of wild Nile crocodiles is only permitted at Pongolapoort Dam in the province, and monitoring of this population is required to enable the setting of annual h...

Leptopelis xenodactylus is a little-known, Endangered species of frog that is thought to be endemic to the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. In an effort to determine the distribution of this species more accurately, a working species distribution model was created for use in searching for more populations over a period of three breeding seas...

Revision of Lentula, Nyassacris, Basutacris and Qachasia, with descriptions of three new genera and 26 new species (Acridoidea: Lentulidae).

Pickersgill’s Reed Frog ( Hyperolius pickersgilli ) is an Endangered (IUCN, 2016) species, endemic to South Africa and restricted to the KwaZulu-Natal coastal region. The species occurs in fragmented patches of Indian Ocean Coastalbelt Wetland, a Critically Endangered habitat type threatened by urbanisation, agriculture, mining, and forestry. We us...

Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiver...

Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiver...

Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiver...

The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA). SALCA was founded on the importance of...

Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiver...

The Red List status of Pennington's protea butterfly Capys penningtoni has deteriorated from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered since 2009. This species is endemic to part of the midlands and Drakensberg foothills of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Capys penningtoni is restricted to protea savanna where its hostplant, Protea caffra, o...

Aerial photography provides historic record of features at the time the photograph was captured, and can assist with exploring changes in the habitat of threatened species. The host-plant of the Critically Endangered, endemic Pennington’s Protea butterfly Capys penningtoni, the Common Sugarbush Protea caffra Meisn. subsp. caffra, is a resprouter af...

The Red List status of Pennington’s protea butterfly Capys penningtoni has deteriorated from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered since 2009. This species is endemic to part of the midlands and Drakensberg foothills of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Capys penningtoni is restricted to protea savanna where its hostplant, Protea caffra, o...

Globally, the threats of habitat loss and disease on amphibian survival have necessitated the creation of ex-situ insurance populations as a conservation tool. We initiated a captive breeding project to create an insurance population for the endangered Pickersgill's reed frog (Hyperolius pickersgilli Raw, 1982) at the Johannesburg Zoo from parents...

Most grasshopper species have simple and similar life cycles and histories; however, different environmental and ecological factors have different effects on their distribution, sexes, and developmental stages, with effects varying among species. If we are to conserve grasshoppers, we need to understand their ecology and life histories. The aim of...

Aerial photography provides historic record of features at the time the photograph was captured, and can assist with exploring changes in the habitat of threatened species. The host-plant of the Critically Endangered, endemic Pennington's Protea butterfly Capys penningtoni, the Common Sugarbush Protea caffra Meisn. subsp. caffra, is a resprouter af...

The Red List status of Pennington’s protea butterfly Capys penningtoni has deteriorated from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered since 2009. This species is endemic to part of the midlands and Drakensberg foothills of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Capys penningtoni is restricted to protea savanna where its hostplant, Protea caffra, o...

The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA). SALCA was founded on the importance of...

Issue consists of one article divided into downloadable PDFS. The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiver...

The Southern African Lepidoptera Conservation Assessment (SALCA) was a collaborative venture between the Lepidopterists’ Society of Africa (LepSoc Africa), the Brenton Blue Trust (BBT) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and formed part of the National Biodiversity Assessment (NBA). SALCA was founded on the importance of...

On 27 March 2015 the authors were conducting research into the life history and ecology of the critically endangered Callioratis millari Hampson, 1905 (Geometridae: Ennominae: Diptychini) at the Entumeni Nature Reserve (ENR) near Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal. This is part of a long term programme of research which sets out to better understand the ecolo...

The article gives 70 Pterophoridae species of nature reserves and national parks of KwaZulu Natal province, Republic of South Africa. New taxonomic combinations are revealed, new data on the distribution of Plume moths in the Republic of South Africa are indicated. New generic combinations were established for two species of Marasmarcha ammonias (M...

Public understanding of the goals of applied biology and conservation is promoted by showcasing charismatic or significant organisms using vernacular names. Conservation activities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, are prioritising taxa that have high rates of provincial endemism, such as snails, earthworms, millipedes and cicadas. To...

Thirty-seven species of nectar-producing flowering plants were recorded in grassland at Entumeni Nature Reserve (ENR) during the normal flight period of Callioratis millari. This suggests no shortage of nectar for the adult C. millari. Eggs and larvae on grass cycads Stangeria eriopus at the ENR monitoring site and at the nearby Dreadnaught Peak Fa...

Pickersgill’s Reed Frog, Hyperolius pickersgilli, is a small frog known only from limited and highly fragmented coastal wetland habitat in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The species has been prioritised for conservation action due to its Red List status, endemism and ongoing deterioration in and loss of habitat. The species was recentl...

Two new species are added to the genus Armstrongium (dlinza and carolinae). The genera Silvanidium, Silvanidiella, Pondoidium, and Parasilvanidium are treated as subgenera of Eremidium. The nominal subgenus Eremidium (Eremidium) appears to be comprised of five species groups, here called Group A through E. The subgenus E. (Silvanidium) is considere...

Certain groups of invertebrates are becoming mainstreamed in conservation activities in KwaZulu-Natal, especially taxa that have many narrow-range species endemic to the province. As a result, there may be a need to assign common (in this case English) names where these are unavailable. A list of scientific names and standardised common names is pr...

Two new species are added to the genus Armstrongium (dlinza and carolinae). The genera Silvanidium, Silvanidiella, Pondoidium, and Parasilvanidium are treated as subgenera of Eremidium. The nominal subgenus Eremidium (Eremidium) appears to be comprised of five species groups, here called Group A through E. The subgenus E. (Silvanidium) is considere...

The proposal to eradicate tsetse flies from South Africa, including its protected areas, via the sequential aerosol technique combined with the sterile insect technique to reduce trypanosomiasis in cattle did not present an appropriate analysis of the impacts that implementation of the proposal would have on biodiversity. Not only would the impleme...

Earthworms are an important component of southern African invertebrate diversity, due both to their influential roles in soil ecosystems, and the relatively large number of species. As of 2010, there were 282 indigenous earthworm species (most endemic) known to South Africa belonging to three families: Microchaetidae, Tritogeniidae and Acanthodrili...

Marius Descamps (1977) established the genus Whitea for four new species of forbhoppers (Orthoptera: Thericleidae) from the present-day Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. The type species (by original designation) is W. fissicauda Descamps, 1977. Descamps's genus name is, however, preoccupied by Whitea Hutton, 190...

Certain groups of invertebrates are becoming mainstreamed in conservation activities in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly groups that have many species endemic to the province and that are confined to small distribution ranges. As a result of this there is a need to assign common (English) names where these are unavailable. A list of scientific names and...

Pickersgill’s Reed Frog, Hyperolius pickersgilli (Anura: Hyperoliidae) was uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered in the previous Red List assessment for South African frogs (2010). The species is known only from a limited number of sites along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. Recommendations regarding conservation research and action for th...

KwaZulu-Natal hosts the highest frog diversity, and the second highest number of threatened frog species, in South Africa. Using the conservation research strategy developed for South Africa’s threatened frogs as a guide (Measey 2011), we have developed and implemented several conservation actions for the following species: the Kloof Frog, Nataloba...

The Endangered Orachrysops ariadne (Butler 1898) (Karkloof blue butterfly) is endemic to the Endangered Moist Midlands Grassland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is extant at four sites. The results from the monitoring of the eggs laid by O. ariadne in a grassland area that is frequently burnt by poor rural people to ensure that palatable grass...

The Endangered Orachrysops ariadne (Butler 1898) (Karkloof blue butterfly) is endemic to the Endangered Moist Midlands Grassland in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and is extant at four sites. The results from the monitoring of the eggs laid by O. ariadne in a grassland area that is frequently burnt by poor rural people to ensure that palatable grass...

Amphibians are the most threatened Class of vertebrate, with wetland-associated anurans in particular suffering high levels of habitat loss. We used predictive modelling to better understand the distribution of a critically endangered South African endemic (Hyperolius pickersgilli) and to guide conservation action. MaxEnt distribution models were p...

The main thrust of the SABCA project has been to compile a comprehensive database of butterfly records for the atlas region. This included a major drive to fill distribution gaps in the coverage of the region. Key outcomes have been the production of distribution maps and conservation assessments based on this accurate and current database. This ha...

Recommendations for the use of the Red List and Atlas by conservation practitioners.

A survey to document and describe the alpine flora and various focal faunal taxa on six isolated inselberg-like peaks (total area of 31.9 ha), all 3000 m or higher, located in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa, was undertaken in early summer in 2005. Study of the fauna of these peaks should be informative because the...

A survey to document and describe the alpine flora and various focal faunal taxa on six isolated inselberg-like peaks (total area of 31.9 ha), all 3000 m or higher, located in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, South Africa, was undertaken in early summer in 2005. Study of the fauna of these peaks should be informative because the...

The release of tortoises after confinement and treatment in rehabilitation centres includes the risk that released individuals may infect wild conspecifics with foreign parasites and other pathogens. The recent monitoring of the release of rehabilitated leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis) onto private land in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Afr...

Invertebrates constitute a substantial proportion of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and are critical to ecosystem function. However, their inclusion in biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning and management has lagged behind better-known, more widely appreciated taxa. Significant progress in invertebrate surveys, systematics and...

Biodiversity targets, or estimates of the quantities of biodiversity features that should be conserved in a region, are fundamental to systematic conservation planning. We propose that targets for species should be based on the quantitative thresholds developed for the Vulnerable category of the IUCN Red List system, thereby avoiding future listing...

Invertebrates constitute a substantial proportion of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and are critical to ecosystem function. However, their inclusion in biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning and management has lagged behind better-known, more widely appreciated taxa. Significant progress in invertebrate surveys, systematics and...

Empirical studies and other evidence indicate that tree farming has had a marked impact on biodiversity in some areas of South Africa, Plant and animal species have been made extinct or are threatened by afforestation, and afforestation is largely responsible for the endangered status of one Veld Type, in KwaZulu-Natal. This information does not su...

Babcock's leopard tortoises (Stigmochelys pardalis babcocki) are taken to rehabilitation centers in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, because they are either escaped, unwanted, or confiscated pets, or else are confiscated from persons who acquire them illegally from the wild. South African rehabilitation centers are reluctant to euthanize torto...

The coastal population of the black-headed dwarf chameleon Bradypodion melanocephalum in KwaZulu-Natal appears to be centred on the eThekwini Municipal Area, which is experiencing rapid urban development. This population occurs in few statutory protected areas, all of which are small. In order to conserve successfully the coastal population in KwaZ...

Subterranean herpetofauna comprise an estimated 20% of the world's amphibians and reptiles but are one of the least studied groups of terrestrial vertebrates. Monitoring population trends and threats to these species is dependent in part on quantitative historical data, which are generally lacking. One exception is a 1970 study conducted in Ndumu G...

A number of global priority region schemes have been developed, but local assessments are needed to identify priority areas for conservation within these regions. Here, we describe results from a conservation assessment for Maputaland, part of a biodiversity hotspot in southern Africa that is also the focus of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation...

The coastal population of the black‐headed dwarf chameleon Bradypodion melanocephalum is threatened by rapid urban expansion in and around Durban which lies in the centre of the chameleon population's distribution. Translocations of threatened species from urban development sites is a mitigation method that is used in various parts of the world. Th...

Subterranean herpetofauna comprise an estimated 20% of the world's amphibians and reptiles but are one of the least studied groups of terrestrial vertebrates. Monitoring population trends and threats to these species is dependent in part on quantitative historical data, which are generally lacking. One exception is a 1970 study conducted in Ndumu G...

The KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service is undertaking a long-term project to determine the value of untransformed land for biodiversity conservation, to map these areas in accordance with their relative values, and to identify and prioritize irreplaceable areas. The overall goal of the initial stage of the project was to use existing data an...

The KwaZulu‐Natal Nature Conservation Service is undertaking a long‐term project to determine the value of untransformed land for biodiversity conservation, to map these areas in accordance with their relative values, and to identify and prioritise irreplaceable areas. Existing distribution data for amphibian and reptile species and subspecies that...

Large-scale afforestation with pines is taking place in montane grasslands of South Africa. Many species dependent on the grass sward will be eliminated from the planted areas. Land should be maintained as conservation areas to ensure the long-term survival of the wildlife within the afforestable region. Ten land types, defined by combinations of c...

Montane grasslands in high rainfall areas of South Africa are subject to large-scale afforestation, making wildlife conservation evaluations necessary. A system which uses landscape features to predict conservation value would be beneficial. This is an initial assessment in the afforestable region of the north-eastern Cape. Sampling of grasshoppers...

The grassland biome is the biome most transformed by human activity in South Africa. At least thirteen percent of the biome is suitable for pine afforestation. There is a need for conservation evaluations before large-scale commercial afforestation to determine which areas are required to maintain biological diversity in the afforestable region and...

The suitability of a wildlife conservation evaluation method, developed in an afforestable region of the southern Drakensberg, for use in a similar northern Drakensberg area was investigated. Sampling of grasshoppers, butterflies and birds was done during late summer along a 700 m altitudinal gradient in the Carolina-Machadodorp-Dullstroom region o...

Some areas of forestry estates, including unplantable ones, may be zoned and managed for nature conservation. This paper is an analysis of the results of studies of plants, birds and small mammals at Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch, to determine whether pine plantations are “inhospitable” to ecological and demographic processes required for the persisten...

Armstrong, A.J. & Juritz, J. 1996. Prediction of cooperative breeding by terrestrial bird species in South Africa. Ostrich 67: 1?8. Cooperative breeding in birds may be difficult to detect without marking techniques, and the breeding biology of most bird species in South Africa has not been intensively studied. Prediction of cooperative breeding fr...

An overview of the impacts of pine afforestation on indigenous biota in South Africa is presented. Changes in the soil, hydrology. habitat structure, micro-environment, food resources and ecological processes of the afforested area occur. These changes influence native organisms and biotic assemblages in various ways. Generally, species richness an...

The small mammals at five sites on each of six land types in the afforestable grasslands of the northern Eastern Cape Province were sampled. Sampling grids consisting of 100 equally spaced trapping points were used. Mean species richness and relative abundance per hectare did not differ significantly over the land types. Significant associations be...

Results from a short-term study of birds and small mammals in pine plantations, regenerating clear-felled sites and indigenous forest and fynbos habitats at Grootvadersbosch, southern Cape, indicate that the pine faunal assemblages are pauperised in relation to those of the original habitat. The pine bird assemblage is largely composed of forest sp...

Our analyses of the incidence of cooperative breeding among South African birds differ from previous studies performed elsewhere in two respects. First, we distinguish between obligate (i.e. regular) and facultative (i.e. opportunistic) cooperative breeding species (OCS and FCS). Second, we have restricted our analyses to 217 South African bird spe...

Wildlife conservation evaluations of afforestable Afromontane grasslands are required. The methodology given is for rapid evaluation by a single person with minimal equipment. Grasshoppers, butterflies, birds and small mammals are key taxa for sampling. A survey of these taxa in different environments using an obligatory design and gradient-directe...

The bird assemblages of three small, different-aged pine habitats and an indigenous wooded habitat were investigated near Stellenbosch, South Africa. Eight 20-min walk-through counts were done per season (excluding summer) in each habitat. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in the indigenous habitat than any of the pine habitats during...

The consumption of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) by an “average-sized” (male 6994 kg; female 8249 kg), sexually mature Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) was estimated, from stomach capacity, ingestion rate and respiratory allometry methods. Estimates obtained from the stomach capacity and respiratory allometry methods differed by 17%–2...

Heuweltjies are earth mounds, up to 30 m in diameter and 1 m high, which are widespread in the arid regions of South Africa. The vegetation assemblage on heuweltjies at Tierberg, Prince Albert, in the Succulent Karoo, is distinct from that in the inter-mound areas. This suggests that micro-environmental processes differ between these two areas. Sig...

Armstrong, A. J. & Siegfried, W. R. Citation between 1983 and 1987 of papers published in Ostrich from 1%3-1982. Ostrich 60: 122–127.Patterns of citations in international scientific journals during 1983–1987 of ornithological papers by southern Africans published in Ostrich between 1963 and 1982 were analysed, using chi-square and log-likelihood r...

Dissertations (D. Phil.)--University of Stellenbosch, 1996. Bibliography. Spine title: Conservation evaluation.