Image credit: An Atlantic Mudskipper rests on the sandy beach of the aqua-terrarium.
The National Museum is pleased to announce that its latest live display, Atlantic Mudskippers, has been reopened! Atlantic Mudskippers 𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑠 (Atlantiese Klimvis) are aquatic fish that spend much of their life out of water, breathing through their skin or using water stored in their gills.
During the week of 23-27 May the Education Department of the National Museum presented PowerPoint lessons on 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 in Africa to Grades 5 – 7 learners.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge, University of Texas and the Natural History Museum in London recently described six new species of tiny flesh-bellied frogs from Mexico. The new species are 𝐶𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑖𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑢𝑚, 𝐶. 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, 𝐶. 𝑐𝑢𝑒𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑙, 𝐶. 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑣𝑢𝑠, 𝐶. 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶. 𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑠. Adults grow to a snout-vent length of 13 to 18 mm. 𝐶𝑟𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠, which grows to only 13 mm, is now the smallest frog species known from Mexico.
Figure 1. Microscope photographs of the intertidal mites Halozetes capensis and Fortuynia elamellata micromorpha (scale bar: 100 µm)
In a recent study (Pfingstl et al. 2022), molecular genetic tests of the COI gene were performed on two species of intertidal oribatid mites (Figure 1) to determine to what extent the genetics of various populations along the South African coast differ.
Bloemfontein 10 May 22: Museum scientist involved in the discovery of the first record of Verreaux’s Eagle Owl in Bloemfontein.