New desert insect species discovered in Richtersveld National Park
A newly-identified species has been named 'Richtersveldiella sanparkensis'
Black News 
New insect species have been discovered in the Richtersveld National Park in the Northern Cape.
International entomologists, Dr Massimo Meregalli from Italy and Dr Roman Borovec from the Czech Republic, have discovered several new species of flightless weevils in remote areas, including the Armmanshoek Valley.
One of the newly identified species has been named Richtersveldiella sanparkensis, in recognition of SANParks’ role in supporting research in the park.
The tiny, brown, rough-textured weevils, almost camouflaged against the sandy ground, are part of the harsh, mountainous and desert landscape marked by extreme heat and dry riverbeds. SANParks Regional Communications Manager for arid areas, Genevieve Maasdorp, says that despite the dry conditions, the park continues to reveal new and hidden species, highlighting the importance of ongoing scientific research in one of South Africa’s most unique and largely unexplored environments.
“In recognition of the park’s conservation significance and SANParks’ role in enabling biodiversity research, the scientists named a newly described genus and species Richtersveldiella sanparkensis, the first known insect species formally named after SANParks and Richtersveld National Park. The researchers have also previously honoured the region’s cultural heritage by naming other genera Khoisan and Nama, acknowledging the deep historical connection between local communities and this unique landscape,” says Maasdorp.
Richtersveld National Park Nursery Curator and Botanist, Pieter van Wyk, explains that the newly-discovered insects are still being studied to understand their ecological role. Van Wyk says they are very slow-moving insects that sleep during the day and become active at night due to extreme summer heat.
“So at the moment, they still need to be studied, their ecology, function, and role. What we do know is that they sleep during the day and are very slow-moving. At night, they crawl, as it is too hot during the summer months. They are mostly active during summer, but it’s too hot for them to eat or browse during the day. So, at night, they climb into shrubs and browse, and during the day, they go underneath the sand. They are soil-dwelling insects,” says van Wyk.
SANParks says the findings underline the importance of ongoing scientific research in protected areas, as the Richtersveld continues to yield new species that add to the understanding of its unique and largely unexplored biodiversity.
