The focus of this edition of Leopard’s Echo is ‘endangered species’. This is a good opportunity to share the third instalment on the temporary insect exhibition, which went up at the Durban Natural Science Museum back during the COVID pandemic. It was entitled, “Insects: the silent extinction”.
The first two articles covered some important roles that insects play in nature: pollination, seed dispersal, recycling and improving soil quality, pest control, weed control, and population control. This article presents the contents of the third display case at the museum, which focussed on the ‘extinction’ aspect.
But first, I would like to introduce a group of insects that are particularly endangered in this modern world of industrial scale agriculture, pollution, environmental degradation and climate change: mayflies.
Mayflies
Order Ephemeroptera is an ancient group, the most primitive of flying insects, and one of three primitive orders of insects with aquatic nymphs – the other two being Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), and Plecoptera (stoneflies).
Read the whole article in Leopard’s Echo, a bi-annual online magazine of Kloof Conservancy.
EASTERaction 