New species of Caenis (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae) from southern South Africa

Abstract

Four new species of the genus Caenis Stephens 1835 are described: Caenis subota n.sp., Caenis helenae n.sp., Caenis parisi n.sp. and Caenis octulusa n.sp. Previously known species found in this area are Caenis basuto and Caenis capensis (known from South Africa only), Caenis brevipes and Caenis jinjana (both widely distributed in tropical Africa; new for South Africa). A redescription of C. basuto and C. capensis is given. Most records are from the border region between the West and East Cape in the Tsitsikamma region, only a few kilometres from the sea; some others from an area south of Lesotho at the West end of the Drakensberg.

Keywords:

• Caenis
• South Africa
• new species

Acknowledgements

My special thanks go to Helen Barber-James (Albany Museum, Grahamstown, South Africa) for leaving me the material for investigation and for searching type specimens with a large expenditure of time. Thanks are also due to Arnold Staniczek and Milan Pallmann (Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart) for their help and for taking the microphotographs.