Africa Wild

Armoured Darkling Beetle Anomalipus sp.
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Tenebrioninae. Tribe: Pedinini

© Kesheshe
Kruger National Park

Anomalipus is a genus of large, hard, flightless darkling beetles with strongly sculptured elytra, with several ribs. They are heavily built and have strong legs.
The genus Anomalipus is comprised of 51 species in Eastern and Southern Africa, 34 of which have been recorded from South Africa.
They feed on dead plant material.


http://the-eis.com/elibrary/sites/defau ... reille.pdf

Giant Longhorn Beetle Phantasis gigantea
Family: Cerambycidae: Subfamily: Lamiinae

© Kesheshe
Kruger National Park

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park

© Richprins
Kruger National Park

Description
Size: 42 mm long. Raised tuberculous lines on the elytra with smaller tubercles betwees the lines. Antennae 11-jointed.

Distribution
Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Frantic Tortoise Beetle Zophosis sp.
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Pimeliinae. Tribe: Zophosini.


Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

The Zophosini are an Old World tribe of apterous (flightless) Tenebrionidae. Their centre of origin is assumed to be the northern part of southwestern Africa (Namibia) and the border region of southwestern Angola. There are many species in the region.

Biology
Adults are active in the heat of the day and scuttle about rapidly, almost swimming across the sand.

Habitat
Coarse gravelly sand, hard silt pans or base of small shrubs in arid areas.

(deleted)

Hairy Darkling Beetle Lagria sp., possibly Lagria vulnerata
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Lagriinae. Tribe: Lagriini

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Garden in Johannesburg

Identification
Hairy Darkling Beetles can reach a length of 11mm. These beetles have a soft and elongated body and a head and thorax narrower than the abdomen. The relatively elongated elytra are metallic green , yellow or brown and covered by dense fine light hairs. The rest of the body is also hairy, but they are less clearly visible. Antennae, underside of body and legs are black. The eyes are remarkably large and round. The bead-like antennae are composed with eleven segments and thickened at the tip.

Biology
Adults and larvae are herbivorous.

Habitat
Savanna and bushveld.

Toktokkie Psammodes sp.
Family: Tenebrionidae

© Tina
Tankwa Karoo National Park

Toktokkies (Psammodes and related genera) are stout, heavy-bodied and wingless, with a tough outer casing.
Size: Length up to 65 mm.
Colour: Black or dark brown.
Habitat: More arid, warmer areas, with sandy soil and little ground cover.
The beetle makes the noise by raising its abdomen and then bringing it down on the surface of the ground several times in quick succession. The tapping is a form of communication between both sexes. The male initiates the tapping and is answered by a receptive female. After a prolonged exchange of signals, the pair finally make contact and mate. The females lay single eggs, each about 6 mm long, which they place in a shallow hollow in the ground. The long, yellow larvae that hatch live in the soil.
The mature toktokkie beetle scavenges on a variety of plant and animal debris.

Scale-feeding Lady Beetle Platynaspis sp., possibly Platynaspis capicola
Family Coccinellidae. Subfamily Chilocorinae


© BluTuna
Johannesburg

The beetles in the genus Platynaspis are 2.5 to 4.8 mm long and have a hairy body. The elytra are black and each carrying two large orange red spots (one slightly anteromedian and one near the apex) The two spots near the apex are smaller. The pronotum is curved downwards with small red or white lateral spots. The clypeus (forehead) extends around the eyes. This feature distinguishes the genus from other small ladybug species. The clypeus is sometimes yellowish white in the male, black in females. The compound eyes are black.

Seven species occur in the region: Platynaspis capicola, P. litura, P. marginata, P. pilosa, P. silvestri, P. solieri, P.vittiger.

Description
Platynaspis capicola is black with pronotal angles yellowish and with two red spots on each elytron, posterior spot smaller than anterior. The dorsum is finely pubescent. Total length is 2.7 mm.

Distribution
Platynaspis capicola is recorded from Africa, Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Mascarenes.

Biology
These ladybirds are predators of aphids and scale insects.

Glow Worm possibly Lampyris sp
Family: Lampyridae. Subfamily: Lampyrinae

© BluTuna
Male

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Shingwedzi

Lampyrids (glow worms and fireflies) are elongate and slender. Head hidden under thorax shield. Eyes protuberant. Antennae short.
Both sexes of fireflies (subfamily Luciolinae) are winged.
In glow worms (subfamily Lampyrinae) females are wingless, larva-like and transmit light while crawling on vegetation. Light-producing organ at abdomen tip attracts mates.
Larvae prey on snails, but adults don't feed.

The subfamily Lampyrinae contains 3 genera in the region:
Diaphanes (D. marginipennis, D. rhodesianus, D. sjostedti)
Lampyris (L. atripennis, L. discicollis, L. imbecilla, L. longicollis, L. melanoptera, L. mosambica, L. natalensis, L. nigripennis, L. tinctoria, L. troglodytes)
Nyctophila (N. conspicua)

Longhorn Beetle Mallodon downesii
Family Cerambycidae. Subfamily Prioninae

© Flutterby
Female, Lower Sabie, Kuger National Park

Size: 29-70 mm.


Links:
https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/201 ... ck_002.pdf

Tar Darkling Beetle Somaticus sp.
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Pimeliinae. Tribe: Sepidiini

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park,Tshange

Somaticus is a an Afrotropical genus of large darkling beetles. Adults are omnivorous scavengers, and the larvae, known as False wireworms, feed on plant roots. The adults are matt black with longitudinal ridges on the pronotum and elytra, and may be covered in hairs.