First Red-billed Quelea breeding record in the winter rainfall region of South Africa

The Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea is a serious pest of agricultural crops throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. Since the 1980s, it has expanded its range into the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, South Africa, facilitated by changes in agricultural practices. This note documents the first breeding of Red-billed Quelea in the winter rainfall region of South Africa. A colony of 350–600 nests was found, with evidence of recent breeding. Red-billed Quelea numbers were low in this region, but if numbers increase in the future in the Western Cape, winter crops could be under threat.     

An invaded wet ecosystem in Central Italy: An arrangement and evidence for an alien food chain

The aim of this work is to provide an account of alien species richness and composition in a remnant Mediterranean coastal wetland of Central Italy. Data were obtained from different taxa-specific methods, in 2001–2005 (terrestrial vertebrates) and in 2005 (fish, arthropoda, mollusca). Among the 353 species sampled, 17 (4.8 %) are aliens (7.1% if we consider only vertebrates).Data on abundance, introduction type and status of alien species are reported. A crustacean, Procambarus clarkii, a fish, Gambusia sp. and three rodents, Myocastor coypus, Rattus norvegicus and Mus domesticus are the naturalized invasive species that locally could constitute a threat on economic and ecological levels. Data on Agapornis nigrigenis and Quelea cardinalis represent the first records for Italy. We also report evidence of a food chain on three levels, among the most invasive species (predation of Gambusia sp. by Procambarus clarkii and of Rattus norvegicus on Procambarus clarkii).      

5. NOTES FROM GRAAFF-REINET

Clark, A. 1978. Some aspects of the behaviour of whistling ducks in South Africa. Ostrich 49:31-39.

The behaviour of the Whitefaced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata and the Fulvous Whistling Duck D. bicolor wasstudied between 1971 and 1974 on the Witwatersrand, Transvaal. The paper describes and compares behaviour associated with feeding, voice, flight, agonistic situations and copulation in the two species.     

DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS OF FENTHION (QUELETOX® UL), USED TO CONTROL RED-BILLED QUELEA (QUELEA QUELEA), ON RHEOPHILIC BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN THE ORANGE RIVER

Summary

The relative abundance of rheophilic macroinvertebrates in the Orange River was assessed before and 15 hrs after two aerial applications of fenthion (QUELETOX® UL) above roosting sites of the red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea). The first treatment had no detectable effect on benthic macroinvertebrate abundance, whereas the second treatment caused mortality among at least 17 taxa (over half the taxa present). The most sensitive species were nymphs of the mayflies Baetis glaucus and Tricorythus discolor, followed by larvae of the midge Rheotanytarsus fuscus. Fenthion had no detrimental effect on the population densities of the mayfly Afroptilum excisum.

The results of this study warn of the dangers of fenthion in water supplies. It is suggested that alternative methods of quelea control along the Orange River should be sought.