Desert Locust (Gastrimargus)

Family Acrididae

A large locust with both green and brown forms. Eggs overwinter with one generation per year. Feed on both tough and soft grass. Found throughout SA.

Long Spinnered Bark Spider - Hersilia Sp

The Hersiliidae is a family of spiders noted for their elongated posterior lateral spinnerets which can be as long as the abdomen in long-spinnered bark spiders and less in rock living species. Hersiliids are small to medium (4.5-12.5mm body length) dorso-ventrally flattened spiders, especially the arboreal genera. They are cryptically coloured in variegated shades of cream, orange, green, brown, grey and black, features they share with the family Selenopidae. Both families are quick and difficult to capture as they disappear into the narrowest of crevices.

 Their spinnerets are used in prey capture by swaying over the victim thus wrapping them in silk.

 Two genera are found in South Africa:

Hirsilia is usually found in trees and Tyrotama is usually found under rocks.

Their body is covered with a thick layer of hair.

Info:

http://www.biodiversityexplorer.org/arachnids/spiders/hersiliidae/index.htm

Sibyllid Mantis (Sibylla pretiosa)

Family Sibyllidae - This is the only one of this family known in SA

It is of medium size - body length about 4.5cm

 It is usually found on the trunk of trees where it moves around feeding off insects.

 Thank you Barry for the confirmation of the species.

Longtailed Widow

These birds have very small bodies but in summer, the males grow a long tail of 40-50cm in order to impress the ladies.

They are found in large flocks where they feed on seeds and insects on the ground.

 Their area is inland (north) upwards from Port Elizabeth and covers most of the provinces where there are grasslands.


Their flight is low and laboured over the ground as the tail brings them down.

 At night they roost in reedbeds where they also build their nests during breeding season.


The males will have up to 6 females which he mates with at any one time and the female lays 2-4 eggs at a time which are a dull greenish white with brown and grey blotches.

Looper moth (Petovia marginata)

Family Geometridae - Loopers or measuring worms

Besides the name, I cannot find any information on this moth.

Tropical Tent Web Spider (Cyrtophora citricola)

Family Araneidae

The female moves around in the central area of the web and there also attaches the egg sac.

 The web is often found in plants such as aloes.

 They are medium-size spiders with eight eyes in two rows.

 Often seen with legs retracted, they do not look like spiders at all and are easily overlooked in the clutter of the nest.

 When attacked these spiders will drop to the ground where their colour helps them to blend in and become almost invisible.

Info from: Goggo Guide

Spotted Hyaena/Hyena (Crocuta crocta)

Family Hyaenindae

With jaws that are the strongest of all animals, they are capable of biting through the thigh bone of a buffalo.

They have an acute sense of smell and have been recorded detecting a carcass nearly two kilometres away.

Thought of as cowards because they are usually seen slinking about with their tails between their legs, in certain areas, hyaenas have been known to attack man and to chase lions away from their kills, thus dispelling the cowardly theory.

 The Spotted hyaena is the largest of the three types of hyaena found in Southern Africa. The other two species being the Brown hyaena and the Stripped hyaena.

Many times these creatures can be seen lying in the mud in order to cool themselves when it is very hot.

 Their forefeet are much larger than their hind feet as it has to carry the extra head and shoulder weight.

The best time for sighting these animals are the early hours near sunrise and then again just before sunset.

 As with most animal species, their behavioural pattern depends on many things such as availability of food, etc. In certain areas hyaenas are strictly scavengers but in other areas, they scavenge as well as hunt for themselves.

In areas where food is scarce, hyaenas are reputed to dig up bodies to survive.

 During a patrol of their territory they might come across another pack of hyaena. In order to make themselves look more ferocious, they will raise the hair on the back of their necks thus increasing their actual size.

See also: http://saphotographs.blogspot.com/2010/08/hyenahyaena-and-friends.html

Flowerpot Wasp (Bembecinus laterimacula)

Family Sphecidae

 Females hunt spittlebugs (Ceropid nymphs) and grasshoppers. They dig their nests in sandy soil.

Stink Bug (Caura rufiventris)

Family Pentatomidae

 They are well armed with stinkglands which open on the top of the abdomen in nymphs. They are medium-sized, easy to distinguish and recorded eating on indigenous potatoes (Solanum) plants.

Information from: Field Guide to Insects of South Africa

African Bluetail (Ischnura senegalensis)

Family Coenagrionidae