Date Added
January 28, 2024
02:13 PM UTC
Date Added
November 21, 2023
11:10 AM SAST
Date Added
January 21, 2023
07:27 PM AEST
Description
About 25 mm long. Matthew, I have emailed you re these.
Date Added
June 15, 2019
10:00 PM SAST
Description
I think it is family Pyralidae but am not sure. The behaviour of this moth - observed several times on different flower species - is that of a hunter (predator) rather than a nectar-feeder.
Date Added
April 11, 2013
04:38 AM SAST
Description
hoverfly
roughly 9mm body length
Date Added
April 28, 2019
05:38 PM SAST
Date Added
April 2, 2019
09:52 AM SAST
Date Added
April 2, 2019
09:48 AM SAST
Description
Feeding on powdery mildew on Leonotis leonurus
Date Added
May 28, 2018
10:04 PM SAST
Date Added
February 23, 2019
03:38 PM SAST
Description
Feasting on aphids, which in turn were feasting on Aloe cooperi, with ants defending the aphids. Usual stories of life, death and the underbelly of the beast. Harmonia axyridis also present, just to complicate matters
Date Added
August 14, 2018
08:54 PM SAST
Description
On Scabiosa africana (planted)
Date Added
April 8, 2019
03:26 PM SAST
Date Added
April 8, 2019
03:27 PM SAST
Date Added
April 30, 2019
06:50 PM SAST
Date Added
June 21, 2019
07:38 PM SAST
Date Added
October 1, 2019
09:30 PM SAST
Date Added
May 19, 2018
07:44 PM SAST
Description
Cabbage white on Scabiosa incisa
LJinteraction
Date Added
April 26, 2018
01:36 PM SAST
Description
Feeding on Crassula nectar in a garden
Date Added
July 26, 2013
06:35 AM SAST
Description
African vagrant
This one was hanging on the plant (Hamellia chrysantha) - seemingly waiting for the sun to warm it. Did not appear to be feeding.
Sexually dimorphic. Possibly male. Females are yellow (sometimes white), males are white.
Date Added
July 7, 2013
08:18 PM SAST
Description
Cabbage white
Date Added
July 5, 2013
12:09 PM SAST
Description
Cacyreus
body roughly 15mm - maybe smaller
Best description of this species EVER to be found
at this observation by Richard
EDIT: Link to Richard^s observation now fixed
Date Added
April 25, 2013
09:15 PM SAST
Description
Charaxes brutus subsp. natalensis
Did not manage to get a photo of dorsal view but definitely white-barred. Drinking sap from a cut Searsia pendulina
Date Added
September 9, 2013
08:34 AM SAST
Description
Tephritid fly
Roughly 4mm to 5mm total length - might be same as
http://www.ispot.org.za/node/205116 - probably Euaresta sp. have not yet tried to key it. Key to Euaresta species - provided in linked observation
Date Added
July 28, 2013
12:14 PM SAST
Description
Thomisus pink
Body length roughly 8mm. On Helichrysum with prey. Spotted by my (then) 4 year old son.
Date Added
June 28, 2019
12:10 PM SAST
Description
With Apis mellifera capensis
What
Bees
(Epifamily Anthophila)
Date Added
February 8, 2014
08:22 PM SAST
Description
Cape honeybee getting noshed by a mantid
Date Added
June 20, 2013
02:00 PM SAST
Description
small red-necked pollen-eater - Malachiinae
EDIT: More photos uploaded at this (http://www.ispot.org.za/node/204065) observation
Small beetle, roughly 3-4mm. Can fly. Metallic (or is that iridescent?) green, pitted elytra, which do NOT appear to be striated (although I could be SO wrong). Bright orange / red smooth (unflanged) pronotum - which appears almost bulbous. Pollen feeder. Seen to be active on roses as well as on Asteraceae, but mostly seen on Arctotheca calendula.
Have hunted for a source for this beetle ID and have narrowed it down to possibly being Cleridae OR Meloidae OR Melyridae OR Malachiidae - but it may well be something completely different.
All I have proved to myself is 1) that the taxonomy for the Coleoptera is due for a HUGE shakedown and 2) that beetle diversity is quite incredible. Have taken a flyer here on family...
The closest photo I have yet found (for South Africa) Was this one by Colin - for a species he names as Spilocephalus viridipennis but I am fairly sure that this is not the species here
Date Added
April 25, 2013
07:06 PM SAST
Description
Thomisus - yellow crab spider
Bright lemon yellow crab spider on Arctotheca calendula, with fly species.
Date Added
May 17, 2013
12:57 PM SAST
Description
Monkey beetle sex wars
Two monkey beetles making more (MBs) on a planted vygie, when a third tried to muscle in on some action. Hover your mouse over the photos for a bit of a description - this dispute carried on for around 3 minutes (judging from the times on the photos)
Date Added
April 11, 2013
04:32 AM SAST
Description
IMG_2465_fly on chrysanthemoides
nectar-feeding fly on Chrysanthemoides monilifera. Fly roughly 9-10mm in body length. Long legs - made me think it might be a mosquito for a long time.
Date Added
July 6, 2019
10:10 PM SAST
Date Added
July 2, 2019
08:40 AM SAST
Description
On Osteospermum moniliferum
Date Added
August 6, 2019
10:34 PM SAST
Description
Large (roughly 10 mm body length), with a very bristly bottom
Date Added
July 8, 2019
08:35 PM SAST
Date Added
July 8, 2019
08:33 PM SAST
Date Added
July 6, 2019
10:10 PM SAST
Date Added
July 2, 2019
08:40 AM SAST
Date Added
July 2, 2019
08:40 AM SAST
Date Added
December 23, 2021
06:29 PM SAST
Description
One of a number of Xylocopa individuals nesting in Phragmites stems. The stem in question was roughly 15-18mm diameter (at most). The Carpenter Bee is not much larger than a Cape Honeybee - probably about 1 and a third times a honeybee's size. I have a suspicion that it might be Xylocopa scioensis because there was a population of these critters in the Phragmites stand (but also because of the GISS).
It may well be a different Xylocopa. Seriously cute little things - X. caffra mini-me
X. caffrariae is a synonym of X. scioensis (see nesting info in:
[J. enl. Soc. sth. Afr. 1974
Vol. 37, No.2, pp. 261-281
Biology and behaviour of Carpenter
bees in southern Africa
by R. H.WATMOUGH]
Date Added
May 23, 2023
05:15 PM SAST
Date Added
February 6, 2018
10:43 AM SAST
Description
About 5mm. This species consistently seen on or near Persicaria hydropiper, an alien wetland plant.
Date Added
February 10, 2023
12:05 PM SAST
Date Added
January 24, 2021
01:20 PM SAST
Date Added
February 27, 2021
09:48 PM SAST
Date Added
November 7, 2021
06:22 PM UTC
Date Added
November 22, 2016
07:33 PM CET
Description
Haroldius sp.
Body size 2,3mm
Date Added
April 26, 2020
12:57 PM UTC
Date Added
October 22, 2021
11:15 AM HST
Date Added
October 2, 2021
05:30 AM PDT
Date Added
July 30, 2013
09:27 AM SAST
Description
Kleinmond vygie
Date Added
December 7, 2020
10:24 AM SAST
Date Added
December 16, 2019
07:48 PM SAST
Date Added
May 16, 2015
02:24 PM SAST
Date Added
November 13, 2020
10:53 AM SAST
Date Added
March 10, 2020
01:30 PM SAST
Description
Still(s) from video. Eating pollen on spadix of Zantedeschia aethiopica inflorescence. Standing on snail curled up in the base of the inflorescence.
Date Added
August 23, 2020
08:17 PM CAT
Date Added
October 24, 2012
06:38 AM SAST
Description
Skoenlapperbos - Polygala pinifolia
Spent the weekend in Prins Albert, rained almost the whole time, only got out into the veld for about two hours.
Date Added
September 8, 2020
12:49 PM SAST
Description
Found on the front dunes of Blombos (near the cave), uncommonly large flowers for Heliophila
Date Added
February 1, 2015
08:14 PM SAST
Description
Sunbird visiting Erica verticillata
Date Added
September 10, 2018
11:37 AM SAST
Description
On planted Leucospermum cordifolium or similar?
Date Added
April 28, 2019
06:20 PM SAST
Description
apologies for the silhouette - it was against the light. Regular robbers of nectar from the neighbour's Hibiscus hedge
Date Added
June 2, 2019
06:49 PM SAST
Date Added
June 15, 2019
08:37 PM SAST
Date Added
June 15, 2019
10:37 PM SAST
Date Added
June 19, 2019
07:00 PM SAST
Date Added
June 19, 2019
07:00 PM SAST
Date Added
June 19, 2019
10:20 PM SAST
Date Added
June 19, 2019
10:21 PM SAST
Date Added
June 24, 2019
04:02 PM SAST
Date Added
June 29, 2019
12:27 PM SAST
Date Added
January 13, 2014
11:05 AM SAST
Description
Owl-fly
These fly into the house occasionally.
Date Added
May 5, 2020
08:01 AM UTC
Date Added
April 26, 2020
02:33 PM UTC
Date Added
August 1, 2013
03:51 PM SAST
Description
monarch-like catterpillar
I looked the monarch up, but those have black antennae, which this one does not have.
Here beigey bands across the body, alternating with black ones, each of the latter carryiing a white double-dot.
Orangey-red head.
No antennae or other appendages.
Date Added
July 21, 2016
03:17 PM SAST
Description
Fierce-faced gall inhabitant - Searsia
Date Added
January 29, 2013
02:07 PM SAST
Description
Geometridae (Measuring Worm)
Date Added
October 6, 2019
07:40 AM UTC
Description
A day later, and the "ladybird" is still on the same plant. It has however changed its position, and when I passed it a second time, it was crawling forward. I'm recording it every few days.
Date Added
June 18, 2015
01:14 PM SAST
Description
New Bergville Inmate
Date Added
October 14, 2019
02:39 PM EDT
Date Added
October 11, 2019
09:51 AM SAST
Date Added
October 11, 2019
08:24 AM SAST
Date Added
December 3, 2018
03:50 PM SAST
Date Added
October 3, 2019
10:52 AM SAST
Date Added
October 12, 2014
02:57 AM HST
Description
Geissorhiza tenella
Date Added
September 19, 2019
10:32 AM SAST
Date Added
September 6, 2019
10:55 PM SAST
Date Added
September 25, 2018
04:44 PM SAST
Description
In a burnt area, seemed to be only one.
Date Added
August 20, 2018
09:26 PM SAST
Date Added
September 30, 2018
03:17 PM SAST
Date Added
August 1, 2019
01:29 PM SAST
Date Added
June 4, 2019
11:43 AM SAST
Date Added
July 17, 2019
10:46 AM SAST
Date Added
July 14, 2019
08:27 PM SAST
Date Added
July 15, 2019
05:29 PM SAST
Date Added
July 14, 2019
10:51 PM SAST
Date Added
July 12, 2019
03:17 AM HST
Date Added
June 9, 2019
05:34 PM SAST
Description
Black sugar ant found foraging on a rotten log.
Date Added
July 12, 2019
01:36 PM SAST
Date Added
June 27, 2019
01:39 PM SAST
Date Added
June 15, 2019
05:49 PM SAST
Description
Thyreus bee sleeping in lavender.