African Arthropods/Ferncliffe Nature Reserve

Arthropods of Ferncliffe Nature Reserve, Pietermaritzburg

Ferncliffe Nature Reserve is a small forest reserve in Msunduzi Local Municipality, between Pietermaritzburg and Hilton. The reserve includes a remnant of what was a more extensive forest (vegetation type Southern Mistbelt Forest) on the south-facing slopes in the area, and is home to a diverse range of plants and animals. A restoration project aims to remove invasive alien plants and re-introduce locally indigenous species. These are some of the arthropods photographed there.

Subphylum Chelicerata

• Class Arachnida — Arachnids

• 
  Whirligig mite
• 
  Hardbacked tick
• 
  Harvestman - Rhampsinitus sp.
• 
  Jumping spider - Asemonea sp.
• 
  Eastern Whipspider - Damon annulatipes

Subphylum Crustacea

• Class Malacostraca — Malacostracans, including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, prawns, woodlice, amphipods, and mantis shrimp

Subphylum Hexapoda

• Class Entognatha — Entognathans, including springtails

• Class Insecta — Insects

• 
  Charaxes butterfly
• 
  Common Pearl Charaxes caterpillar
• 
  Common Mother-of-Pearl butterfly
• 
  Window Acraea
• 
  Window Acraea
• 
  Dusky Acraea
• 
  Rove beetle
• 
  Shield bug
• 
  Wood gnat
• 
  Snouted hoverfly
• 
  Stalk-eyed fly
• 
  Flat-footed fly
• 
  Dichaetomyia sp., a muscid fly

Subphylum Myriapoda

• Class Chilopoda — Centipedes

• 
  Centipede from Subfamily Scolopendrinae

• Class Diplopoda — Millipedes

• 
  Giant millipede, Doratogonus sp.
• 
  Red millipede, Centrobolus sp.
• 
  Southern Giant Pill Millipede