In the Western Indian Ocean (WIO), more than 76 records from peer-reviewed and grey literature identified approximately 60 invertebrate taxa harvested for bait and food. The most diverse phyla were Mollusca, followed by Arthropoda and Annelida, with few records of Porifera, Nemertea and Echinodermata. Importance of each phylum differs according to country, with arthropods (Upogebia africana and Kraussillichirus kraussi), and annelids (Marphysa mossambica) being most important in South Africa and Kenya, respectively. Of the taxa utilised, only 42 are reliably identified to species level, suggesting that the diversity of species utilised in the region is greatly underestimated. Most of the data on biology and exploitation were for species from South Africa. Less data were available from Kenya with minimal to none being available from the remaining WIO countries. This limits the understanding of biology and trends in exploitation of most bait taxa, and consequently information required for developing national and regional management policies. Bait management guidelines are available only for South Africa, but require updating in view of changes in use of bait resources. We recommend the development of coordinated multidisciplinary, multicountry research aimed at increasing data and information to feed into policy development and support national and regional bait resource management.

Increasing beach sediment loss from erosion and high levels of crab Ocypode spp. predation are threatening turtle nests and nesting habitat. The 900 m long beach on Cousine Island, Seychelles, supports a nesting population of approximately 70–130 hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata nests each season. Seasonal and storm-related erosion and accretion cycles on Cousine Island have the potential of destroying 50% or more of all turtle egg clutches on the island in a single nesting season. Observed crab predation rates had reached 90–100% in preferred nesting beach zones in previous years. This has resulted in intensive management measures to minimise turtle egg and nest losses. We investigated the distribution and population density of ghost crabs and the morphology of the beach across the different beach area zones and across the turtle-nesting season during 2014–2015. Crab burrow numbers varied between beach zone areas and across the season and were highest on the backshore. Crab density correlated negatively with available beach area, and we found that crab density increased in the presence of turtle nests. When examining beach dynamics, we found them to be cyclical and found the nesting beach prone to higher levels of erosion than accretion with significant changes in beach width throughout the season. The mean vertical beach elevation drop on Cousine Island was higher than what hawksbill turtles have been reported to prefer. We suggest the continuation of beach elevation monitoring and management to use the beach morphology data to assist with hawksbill turtle nest translocations to minimise nest losses and maximise hatchling recruitment success.

The genetic diversity of the Ethiopian endemic Ankober Serin Crithagra ankoberensis was studied in two populations at Simien Mountains National Park and Guassa Community Conservation Area using five microsatellite markers. Blood samples were taken from 16 and 14 birds, respectively. Three molecular markers resulted in relatively low, though noticeable differences between the two populations. The analysis also showed the presence of shared alleles, indicating current gene flow between the two populations. Two markers from Simien Mountains National Park and two markers from Guassa Community Conservation Area revealed obvious deviations from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. We interpret these deviations in both populations as limited population size and restricted gene flow. The genetic differentiation between the two populations thus could be explained by their geographical separation (more than 360 km), reinforced by barriers, such as steep mountains, deep valleys and extensive plains (isolation by distance). On the other hand, a stepping-stone mechanism between geographically intermediate populations across small distances might explain the observed gene flow. Further studies are needed to better reconstruct the biogeographic history and conservation needs of the Ankober Serin populations in Ethiopia.

Although highly adaptable, leopards incur substantial mortality in human-modified landscapes and generally subsist at lower densities than in protected areas. Leopard populations are difficult to enumerate across any landscapes, though there have been strides to improve upon this, particularly in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the population density of leopards in the Magaliesberg mountain range of the North West province in 2015 and provided a longitudinal comparison of these camera-trapping sites. It appraises the efficacy of interventions aimed at improving the status quo of zero leopards found during a prior survey in 2011. Such interventions included a moratorium on sport hunting of the species, and the reintroduction of four individuals, two of each sex, into this area. Camera trapping over 10 months detected seven unique individuals, including one juvenile and six adults, consisting of four males and three females, half of which were previously reintroduced or progeny thereof. A Bayesian capture-recapture abundance model indicated a population of 5–7 individuals occurring within 1 480 km² of available habitat, yielding a density estimate of 0.34–0.47 adult leopards per 100 km², which is a relatively low estimate, likely due to population suppression from anthropogenic pressures surrounding the site (i.e., snaring). This study demonstrates that large carnivore populations can recolonise their former range via targeted interventions within topographical refugia.

The South African marine environment is highly diverse, containing >12 000 species of flora and fauna. However, the state of knowledge of marine fish parasites in South African waters is still relatively poor. This study used opportunistic sampling to examine the heads and gills of several commercially valuable marine fish species for ectoparasites with the aim of increasing knowledge of marine parasite biodiversity in South Africa. Samples were collected in 2015 and 2016 from commercial fishing operations, local fishers and research cruises by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and were stored frozen until dissection. The head region, gills and opercula from altogether 621 individual fish from 16 host species were examined. In total, 22 parasite taxa, comprising seven monogeneans and 15 copepods, were recorded, with one new host record and 13 new geographic records catalogued for South Africa. This study increases the knowledge of marine parasite biodiversity in South Africa.

In the central Congolian lowland forests we discovered for the first time Panaspis breviceps, a rarely found scincid lizard from the Central African riparian forests. Given that the Central African forests exhibit heterogeneity in the distribution of environmental characteristics and forms distinct ecoregions, the question arises as to how this newly discovered population compares with other populations in Central Africa and particularly in the Congolian lowland forests. We reviewed the distribution records of this species and examined and compared new and available genetic data (mitochondrial DNA). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed the existence of two evolutionary lineages differing by 2.0% in 16S rRNA. One lineage occurs in and around the southern Cameroon Highlands, but its distribution southwards is poorly documented. The other lineage includes the western, central and eastern populations of the Congo Basin, suggesting certain biogeographic connectivity across the Congolian forests. These results support the hypothesis of limited biogeographic barriers to the distribution of lizards in the Congolian lowland forests, but this remains to be tested using additional independent markers, denser sampling and multiple species.