Coolest South African Insect Genus for each Order
South Africa is home to a vast variety of insect species, a large proportion of which are endemic. I have chosen to make a list for what I consider to be the coolest genus in every order (not exactly 1:1 with "my favourite genus") based semi-objectively on traits such as uniqueness, morphology, biogeography and ecology. I will state the list first, and then have a section explaining my rationale for each choice. Note that the orders Raphidioptera, Grylloblattodea and Zoraptera are absent from South Africa.
The List
Format: Order - Genus - endemism status (E = endemic, N = not endemic) - iNat link
Hymenoptera - Rediviva - E* - link
Lepidoptera - Aeropetes - N - link
Trichoptera - Hydrosalpinx - E - link
Diptera - Moegistorhynchus - E - link
Mecoptera - Anomalobittacus - E - link
Siphonaptera - Demeillonia - N - link
Coleoptera - Colophon - E - link
Strepsiptera - Stichotrema (but see below) - N - link
Neuroptera - Sicyoptera - E - link
Megaloptera - Chloroniella - E - link
Hemiptera - Pameridea - E - link
Thysanoptera - Jacotia - N - link
Psocodea - Hybophthirus - N - link
Blattodea - Saltoblattella - E - link
Mantodea - Phyllocrania - N - link
Mantophasmatodea - Austrophasma - E - link
Phasmatodea - Bactrododema - N - link
Embioptera - Apterembia (but see below) - N - link
Orthoptera - Cedarbergeniana - E - link
Plecoptera - Desmonemoura - E - link
Dermaptera - Hemimerus - N - link
Odonata - Chlorolestes - N - link
Ephemeroptera - Nadinetella - E - link
Zygentoma - Silvestrella - E - link
Archaeognatha - Machiloides - N - link
*Rediviva is also found in Lesotho but this enclaved country cannot be considered a separate entity from a biological and geographical perspective.
Why are These the Coolest?
Rediviva (Melittidae) - Morphology: The legs of some species of these bees are extremely long, used for collecting oil from flowers. R. emdeorum's front legs are longer than the rest of its body. Ecology: Pollinates the regionally endemic genus Diascia (Scrophulariaceae). Biogeography: Genus endemic to South Africa.
Aeropetes (Nymphalidae) - Morphology: The only species (A. tulbaghia) has a beautiful brown, blue and yellow colouration on upperside of wings and unique patterns on both sides. The largest Satyrine butterfly in the region, with a wingspan up to 90 mm. Ecology: The sole pollinator of at least ten species of red-flowered plant (Amaryllidaceae, Iridaceae, Orchidaceae, Crassulaceae), primarily in the Cape, including Disa uniflora (Orchidaceae), the provincial flower of the Western Cape and a Western Cape endemic. Biogeography: Part of a clade (Dirini) endemic to Southern Africa.
Hydrosalpinx (Hydrosalpingidae) - Morphology: The only species (H. sericea) is unmistakable for the five setal warts on its back and the enormously elongated labial and maxillary palps. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Forms a South African-endemic family. Has Gondwanan ties to Australian caddisflies. Behaviour: Larvae build a distinctive tusk-shaped case made of pure, golden silk.
Moegistorhynchus (Nemestrinidae) - Morphology: Despite its 40 mm wingspan, one of the species, M. longirostris, has a 70 mm proboscis, the longest on any known fly. Ecology: Pollinates numerous white-flowered plants (Iridaceae, Orchidaceae, Geraniaceae). Proboscis specifically evolved for the purpose alongside host nectar guides. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus.
Anomalobittacus (Bittacidae) - Morphology: The only species (A. gracilipes) lacks wings, very unusual for a hangingfly. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Despite having a fair species count, Africa has a very low family (1) and genus (2) count of Mecoptera. This is Africa's only endemic Mecopteran genus.
Demeillonia (Chimaeropsyllidae) - Ecology: Known to parasitize elephant shrews (Macroscelididae), a uniquely African mammal group. Biogeography: Part of the Southern Africa-endemic flea family Chimaeropsyllidae.
Colophon (Lucanidae) - Morphology: Most species purely black, but C. primosi males have impressive colours and mandible length. Ecology: Larvae feed on Restionaceae roots. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. All species limited to cold mountaintops in the Western Cape. Some species limited to a single mountain. There are few other stag beetles in Southern Africa. Behaviour: Males don't show physical aggression to each other, an otherwise typical stag beetle trait.
Stichotrema (Myrmecolacidae) - Due to very little research, few Strepsiptera have been described from South Africa. I just chose this genus as the family has an interesting ecology where females parasitize Orthoptera and males parasitize Formicidae. The only known local species, S. robertsoni, has males that parasitize Pheidole ants but it is not known what females parasitize.
Sicyoptera (Nemopteridae) - Morphology: Hindwings have distinctive and impressive double-dilation. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Has Gondwanan ties to Australian Nemopteridae. Research: S. dilatata was not seen alive for about 175 years before being rediscovered.
Chloroniella (Corydalidae) - Morphology: Light colouration and dark stripes set the only species (C. peringueyi) apart from most other Megaloptera. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Unusual in that true dobsonflies (Corydalinae) are rare in the Southern Hemisphere. Forms its own lineage in the Corydalinae.
Pameridea (Miridae) - Ecology: Has a remarkable and unique relationship with the Cape-endemic carnivorous plant genus Roridula (Roridulaceae). Roridula uses flypaper traps to catch insects, and instead of digesting them itself, allows Pameridea to live freely on its leaves thanks to their oily bodies, and ingest the captured prey before excreting on the leaves, allowing the plant to absorb the nutrients. Each Roridula species is thought to have its own Pameridea partner species. This relationship between a plant and insect is totally unique worldwide. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus.
Jacotia (Phlaeothripidae) - Ecology: The only local species, J. elegiae, feeds on the roots of the Cape-endemic plant Elegia filacea (Restionaceae). Biogeography: Peculiar distribution, with all other species found in Australia. This distribution is also known from other thrip genera.
Hybophthirus (Hybophthiridae) - Morphology: Males have their penis emerging from their backs. Ecology: The only species (H. notophallus) parasitizes only aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) (Orycteropodidae), a species of mammal endemic to Africa. This parasite-host pair is particularly interesting as both are the only living species of their respective families. Biogeography: Family, genus and species endemic to Africa.
Saltoblattella (Ectobiidae) - Morphology: Greatly enlarged hindlegs for jumping, totally unique for any cockroach or Blattodean. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Behaviour: Only jumping cockroaches. Research: Only one species, S. montistabularis, known only from the Cape Peninsula, has been named, but numerous undescribed species have been observed around the Cape.
Phyllocrania (Hymenopodidae) - Morphology: Notable for their attractive appearance and large variance in colour. Biogeography: Genus endemic to Africa.
Austrophasma (Mantophasmatidae) - Morphology: Bright green colour adds some points to coolness. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Known only from the Hottentots Holland Mountains, my favourite place on Earth. Entire order endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa and the only insect order limited to one continent. Research: The order, family and many of the species where only described in 2002. This applies to the entire order obviously, but I chose this genus on account of personal preferences in appearance and range.
Bactrododema (Diapheromeridae) - Morphology: Extremely long, with species like B. krugeri up to 300 mm in length, this genus includes some of the longest insects worldwide. Biogeography: Genus endemic to Africa.
Apterembia (Embiidae) - Almost no research has been done on South African webspinners. A few genera have been identified, but this is the only one tied to a name, so it wins by default I guess.
Cedarbergeniana (Tettigoniidae) - Morphology: Very large, females of the only species (C. imperfecta) exceeding 100 mm in total length. Attractive striped appearance. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. Only known from the Cederberg Mountains. Behaviour: Possibly the only katydid worldwide that lives only in caves.
Desmonemoura (Notonemouridae) - Morphology: Set apart from other local stoneflies by their attractive, striped wings. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. The family as a whole is Gondwanan and endemic to the Southern Hemisphere, found in Southern South America, Southern Africa, Madagascar, Australia and New Zealand.
Hemimerus (Hemimeridae) - Morphology: Family as a whole has unusual earwig morphology, with reduced eyes and cerci. Ecology: Unusual among earwigs for living in the fur of the giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus) (Nesomyidae). Not parasitic in nature, feeding off of fungi and detritus on the rats' skin. Biogeography: Family and genus endemic to Africa.
Chlorolestes (Synlestidae) - Morphology: The family as a whole stands out from other damselflies due to a combination of large size, spread-out wings and iridescent colouring. I chose this genus because of the attractive bands that can be found on some males' wings, very unusually for damselflies. Biogeography: Genus endemic to Southern Africa.
Nadinetella (Teloganodidae) - Ecology: Nymphs known to live on the Cape-endemic aquatic moss Wardia hygrometrica (family uncertain). Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus. The family is distributed in the Cape, Madagascar and Southern Asia, indicating Gondwanan origin.
Silvestrella (Lepismatidae) - Ecology: One of the species, S. termitophila, is known to live in the nests of the termite Microhodotermes viator (Hodotermitidae), an important species for the Cape. Biogeography: Cape-endemic genus.
Machiloides (Meinertellidae) - Morphology: An undescribed species, apparently belonging to this genus and endemic to the Cape Peninsula, has extremely long antennae. Behaviour: The same undescribed species lives only in caves.
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