Biodiversity conservation has focused on large vertebrates and plants with pronounced economic value, compared with smaller organisms such as benthic macroinvertebrates that play a particular role in freshwater ecosystems. The increasing loss and degradation of freshwater habitats, coupled with low taxonomic and ecological knowledge and limited conservation efforts in the tropical regions, threaten macroinvertebrate biodiversity. This study investigated spatial and seasonal variability in benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and the underlying environmental variables within the Aturukuku River in Tororo, Uganda. Benthic macroinvertebrates were evaluated by comparing their composition at a reference site in the upstream rural area with two urban midstream sites and one rural downstream site during dry and wet seasons in 2018. Benthic macroinvertebrate diversity in the Aturukuku River was lower than that reported from least disturbed small rivers within the same region; with moderate to high pollution tolerant taxa, dominating. Chironomidae, Oligochaeta and Simulium sp. predominated at the urban sites receiving sewage and abattoir effluent. The Shannon–Wiener diversity index, species richness and species evenness in the river were generally low. Prosobranch (Thiaridae) snails and bivalves (Sphaeridae) were among the taxa with low tolerance to changes in the river. Canonical Correspondence Analysis revealed that total nitrogen, dissolved oxygen, temperature and streambed substrate were predominant in structuring benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages. There was no potential species-rich area for macroinvertebrate conservation, given the poor environmental conditions and diversity in the entire river. However, specific mitigation measures against the declining quality of the river are recommended, to boost conservation of macroinvertebrates and the entire riverine ecosystem.

The encroachment of agricultural landscapes on natural ecosystems poses a significant threat to native wildlife persistence. In the Boland Mountain Complex (BMC), the presence of mammals was well documented in the 20th century, but an updated account is lacking. This study relied on Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) to elucidate perceived medium- to large-sized (>300 g) mammal occurrences, distribution ranges, and relative abundance on private agricultural properties adjacent to protected areas in the BMC. In total, 30 mammal species were reported to be present, and inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolations were created for species that had more than five independent citations (n = 24), to display reported relative abundance-distributions beyond the scope of the sampled locations. Species with severely isolated relative abundance-distribution profiles (e.g. leopard, Panthera pardus, Cape clawless otter, Aonyx capensis and honey badger, Mellivora capensis), species with low overall incidence (e.g. aardwolf, Proteles cristata and Smith's red rock rabbit, Pronolagus rupestris), and non-native species with high incidences (e.g. feral dog, Canis familiaris and feral pig, Sus scrofa) were identified, and can now be prioritised further for future research and conservation efforts within the BMC region.

The sand flea, Tunga penetrans, causes tungiasis, the detrimental skin inflammation with the potential for bacterial co-infections. It is a neglected tropical disease common among the rural poor, especially communities along the coastlines in Southwest Nigeria. There are very few studies on T. penetrans infestation in Nigeria, and no records of infestation along the sandy coastal areas of Ondo State. Therefore, the current study was carried out to examine the prevalence of T. penetrans infestation in the coastal communities of Zion Igbokoda, Kofawe and Laranda in the region of Igbokoda, Ondo State. Hands and feet of selected household members were examined, whereas fleas on different types of floors were sampled by sweeping and beating, soil collection, and extraction by tullgren funnel methods. The prevalence of tungiasis was 35.8% of the total population studied with infection more prevalent in males within 0–4 years (46.9%), 5–9 years (60.2%), 10–14 years (60%) and 60 years and above (28.1%) age groups than in females (p = 0.015). Infestation prevalence was in the order of 43.9%, 34.6% and 29.0% for Zion Igbokoda, Kofawe and Laranda, respectively. The number of flea-infested floors was 81 out of 363 examined with the greatest percentage infestation in houses that had earthen floored rooms and verandas. The high prevalence recorded in this study is capable of affecting the socio-economic well-being of the Igbokoda community. Therefore, a well-designed intervention measure involving concrete flooring of houses is suggested in order to ameliorate infestation burdens.

Dama gazelles (Nanger dama Pallas, 1766) are critically endangered within their native habitat of northern Africa's Sahelo-Saharan Zone. However, several Texas ranches maintain populations that provide a hedge against extinction and that can provide suitable stock for conservation projects, including reintroduction. For these initiatives, there is a critical need for information on spatial requirements of male dama gazelles. This is especially the case, because population increase is hindered by aggressive behaviour of males kept within limited areas. Adult males kill other males. We report on the spatial distribution and interaction potential (interanimal distances) of male eastern dama gazelles (N. dama ruficollis) from a population living on 8 996 ha of fenced rangeland in West Texas, USA. We fitted five males with GPS-radio collars and tracked their positions every 3 h for one year. Adult males (n = 3) maintained annual 95% Kernel Home Ranges (KHR) averaging 1 783 ha with 50% core areas averaging 440 ha. Average distance between adults with adjacent home ranges was 2.8 to 4.6 km, with only four contacts within 20 m recorded. Subadult males (n = 2) had more diffuse home ranges and a common core area. They only associated in a loose bachelor group for part of the time. Their space use can overlap with that of adult males. When spatial requirements are met, problems caused by aggression can be minimised. Small sample size prevents definite recommendations, but results point to productive avenues for additional study to enhance management of other ex situ populations.

The western region of Cameroon is one of the leading agricultural production areas in sub-Saharan Africa, and this ongoing anthropogenic perturbation has led to the replacement of natural forests with agroecosystems. Such anthropogenic landscape transformations may have affected bat species composition and abundance in the area. Our study assessed the response of bat assemblages to these changes, by comparing species diversity and abundance across four distinct habitat types within the region: cultivated farms (transformed landscape), savannah and gallery forest (both representing degraded areas), and secondary forest. A total of 442 individuals assigned to 25 species were captured using ground-level mist nets. The cultivated farms recorded the highest bat species richness (13 species) and abundance (145 individuals), whereas the gallery forest had the lowest species richness (six species) and abundance (62 individuals). Myonycteris angolensis had the highest relative abundance in the region, with large numbers captured in cultivated farms. According to the rank-frequency diagram, bat assemblages in cultivated farms (Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) = 53.7), gallery forest (AIC = 27.7), and secondary forest (AIC = 48.5) are distributed according to the pre-emption model, whereas the distribution in the savannah (AIC = 40.0) follow the null model. Generalised linear models revealed significant differences in species and relative abundance across the four habitat types.

Floral nectar is an important attractant and reward for visitors, and is often produced in synchrony with peak activity of pollinators. Aloe peglerae flowers in winter, and previous studies have shown that it is pollinated primarily by diurnal generalist birds, with small mammals making additional contributions to pollination at night. Nectar produced during the day is the main attractant and reward for birds, but the nectar rewards available to small mammals are unknown. This paper investigates nectar availability in Aloe peglerae, because small mammals may be feeding on remaining, or freshly produced, nectar at night. Nectar availability over a 24-hour period was measured in screened and unscreened plants (n = ten plants per treatment), and the associated partitioning of visits by diurnal birds and nocturnal small mammals assessed. Nectar is constantly available over 24-hours, but in different quantities. Nectar volume of screened (nectar availability) and unscreened (standing crop) plants, is significantly higher early in the morning after sunrise, compared with all other sampling periods during the 24-hour period. Nectar concentration did not vary over 24-hours, averaging 11.5 ± 0.4% w/w (unscreened) across the entire 24-hour period. Peaks in visits by different guilds occurred at periods (i.e. diurnal birds and nocturnal small mammals) when nectar availability was high. Aloe peglerae has higher daytime nectar production, when its primary pollinators are most active, but the continual, albeit reduced, nectar availability at night attracts small mammals. Mobile diurnal birds, and less-mobile nocturnal small mammals, both rely on this nectar resource during dry and cold South African winters and, in turn, are important pollinators for this Critically Endangered Aloe species.

We present the first record of the ant Pheidole megatronFischer and Fisher, 2013 in Rwanda, a species thought to be endemic to the Malagasy region. Specimens were collected in July 2019, in one of the houses located at Kivumu, in the center of Rwanda. They were first morphologically identified as Pheidole megatron using a recent identification key. Molecular identification through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) confirmed the morphological identification. The Rwanda sample clustered with samples from the Comoros, and it belongs to the group megacephala. Future studies may focus on the biology and ecology of this ant species in Africa. Moreover, we suggest the screening of other African populations of Pheidole megacephala using finer genetic markers with higher mutation rates to clarify the identification and spread of the species.