Small mammals, the most species-rich group in the class Mammalia, form the prey base for meso-predators, hence knowledge of their populations is an important management tool. This study aimed to provide an updated inventory and conservation status assessment of small mammals in Mikumi National Park (MINAPA) and Udzungwa Mountains National Parks (UMNP), Tanzania, from surveys conducted in 2020 - 2021. Small mammals were captured using live traps. A total of 148 individuals were recorded, with murids being the most dominant group and Acomys wilsoni the most trapped species. Species diversity and trap success were slightly higher in MINAPA compared to UMNP. In addition, camera traps recorded the grey-faced sengi, Rhynchocyon udzungwensis, an endemic and vulnerable species of Udzungwa. These findings provide current baseline data on small mammals in protected areas, demonstrating their ecological significance. We suggest that this often-overlooked faunal diversity might open potential for targeted eco-tourism.

peer reviewed

The age structures of five East African elephant clans culled between 1965 and 1969 are established. Combined, calves of the year formed the largest annual class, declines in age classes were steep to puberty, levelled out until about 30 years, then accelerated, but twice as fast in males as in females. This pattern did not hold good for clans examined separately. In two, calves of the year were fewer than their precursors and annual age classes showed asynchronous variation between clans. The similarity of these age class shapes to Kenya's Amboseli Elephant Research Project's 46 year findings based on known-age animals, suggests that while a clan's age peaks and depressions are unique to it, the pattern may be characteristic of savanna elephant clans more widely. Male mortality post 30 was steep in areas without hunting and attributed to musth-related fighting, to which human hunting was additional where it had occurred.

Despite its small geographical size and its tumultuous recent political history, Rwanda is home to a diverse mammal fauna. Having reviewed 53 published books and papers, including the six volumes of Mammals of Africa, I have developed a simple checklist of all mammals recorded within Parc National des Volcans, Akagera National Park, Nyungwe National Park, and along the eastern shore of Lake Kivu. With a few exceptions, almost all of Rwanda's mammal species are represented in these four areas. A total of 205 species were identified within these four areas, though the presence of some species may be in doubt, some may become locally extirpated, and a few additional species may be found with more ground surveys.

From 2003-2008, during soil zoological surveys in the Kibira National Park, Burundi, millipedes of the genus Eviulisoma were collected. Samples of E. cylindricum and E. silvaticum were recovered in addition to those containing two new species. Eviulisoma kirama sp. nov. and Eviulisoma nzigidahera sp. nov. are described and additional records, illustrations, and descriptive notes are given for the other two species. A key for the Burundian species and a distribution map for all species of the genus is presented.

The vervet monkey, Chlorocebus pygerythrus (F. Cuvier, 1821), is among the most abundant and widely distributed primates in eastern and southern Africa (Butynski et al., 2013). In Tanzania, it is found throughout most of the country, and in some places, forages in human settlement areas (Foley et al., 2014). Chlorocebus pygerythrus is an opportunistic omnivore, with flowers, leaves, seeds and invertebrates contributing a major part of its diet (Struhsaker, 1967; Wrangham & Waterman, 1981; Lee & Hauser, 1998; Butynski et al., 2013; Foley et al., 2014). Vervet monkeys are known to feed on terrestrial grasses e.g. Panicum spp, Sporobolus spp, Cynodon spp and Cenchrus mezianus (Leeke) Morrone (Struhsaker, 1967; Butynski et al., 2013), but there are no records of seagrasses as part of their diet. This note reports the first observation of C. pygerythrus feeding on the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum (Forssk.) Hartog (Cymodoceaceae) at Saadani National Park, on the shores of the Indian Ocean. Saadani National Park is one of 22 national parks in mainland Tanzania, and the only one bordering the Indian Ocean (TANAPA, 2020). It comprises the former Mkwaja ranch area, former Saadani game reserve and the Zaraninge forest (Treydte et al., 2005) and is located within the Zanzibar-Inhambane phytochorion (White, 1983). The mean annual temperature in the park is 25°C (Treydte et al., 2005) with the annual rainfall considerably variable between years (Tobler et al., 2003), generally averaging to 900 mm per annum (Treydte et al., 2005). Rainfall in the park is bimodal with a short rainy season from October to December and a long rainy season from March to early June (Treydte et al., 2005; Cochard & Edwards, 2011). Like most of the Western Indian Ocean, the hydrography of Saadani coast is shaped by northeast and southeast monsoon winds which occur between November to March and May to September respectively (Richmond, 2002; Lymo, 2011; Semba et al., 2019). The surface water temperature ranges from 20 to 30°C and is higher during northeast monsoon winds (Richmond, 2002; Lymo, 2011; Peter et al., 2018). At least 10 seagrass species are known along the Western Indian Ocean (Richmond, 2002; Gullstrom et al., 2002) with Thalassodendron ciliatum being among the most common (Gullstrom et al., 2002). A group of 22 vervet monkeys were observed on 31 August 2019 foraging along the shores of the Saadani National Park (6°01'42S, 38°46'44E ) for two hours from 10:00 h to 12:00 h during the low tide. The monkeys spent almost half of the time feeding on the terrestrial herbs Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Sporobolus sp, Panicum sp and Anthericum sp on the supralittoral zone, before entering the littoral zone where they foraged on drift patches of the seagrass Thalassodendron ciliatum (figures 1 & 2). Identification of the seagrass followed Richmond (2002). The monkeys were observed eating rhizomes and shoots of T. ciliatum while avoiding the roots and leaves. Both direct mouth scrape and hand-to-mouth movements were used when the monkeys were feeding on the terrestrial grasses but only hand-to-mouth movements were used when feeding on T. ciliatum. A number of studies on non-human primates utilizing marine foods exist, in which marine animals dominate as food items (Son, 2003; Stewart et al., 2008; Lewis & O’Riain, 2017), especially invertebrates (Son, 2003).These reports indicate that marine resources contribute only small proportions of the primate’s food and that the animals invest little of their time on these feeding grounds (Lewis & O’Riain, 2017). However, detailed studies on feeding behaviour of vervet monkeys in Saadani National park will shed more light on feeding habits of primates along the Tanzanian coast. This observation supports the opportunistic nature of vervet monkeys as they are known to take advantage of available food resources (Struhsaker, 1967; Butynski et al., 2013). This is the first reported record of the seagrass T. ciliatum constituting a food item in the diet of vervet monkeys despite the occurrence of this seagrasses along parts of the distribution range of vervet monkeys.

Kakamega Forest is located in Western Province of Kenya about 40 km northwest of Lake Victoria. It is an island of disturbed forest in a densely populated area at an altitude of about 1600-1700 m. Kakamega Forest is famous because of its interesting biogeographical transitional position between the Guineo-Congolian lowland forests and the Afromontane forests (White, 1983; Beentje, 1990). It harbours 986 vascular plant species, including 81 pteridophytes (Fischer et al., 2010). While visiting Kakamega Forest in July 2007 Christella parasitica, a fern not yet recorded for Kakamega (Fischer et al., 2010) and Kenya (Faden, 1994; Verdcourt, 2006) was found. In this communication its habitat and ecological demands are described and biogeographical implications discussed. The taxonomy follows Verdcourt (2006).

A survey of the aquatic weed Hydrilla verticillata was conducted in selected Kenyan and Ugandan lakes, and emerging chironomid adults were collected from samples of Hydrilla and seven other aquatic macrophytes. Hydrilla was absent from Lake Victoria, in sites where it previously occurred. Hydrilla was found in four of nine lakes examined in Uganda, i.e. Bisina, Kyoga, Bunyonyi and Mutanda. From 7424 collected chironomid adults, 43 species were identified, 21 (49%) representing new Ugandan records. Thirty-nine (91%) of the species were found on Hydrilla. Three species represent probable undescribed taxa. At our primary site, Lake Bisina, the genera Tanytarsus and Dicrotendipes dominated the chironomid community, comprising 76% of emerged adults. A species accumulation curve for chironomid species associated with Lake Bisina macrophytes suggested that further plant sampling would uncover additional species. Polypedilum wittei, formerly considered for possible biological control of Hydrilla, was not specific to that plant, emerging from six of the seven other species of submersed macrophytes we sampled. A second candidate Polypedilum species, P. dewulfi, was not found in Uganda. No insectrelated damage to Hydrilla was observed. Chironomid data were compared between Uganda collections and those from a concurrent, similar study in lake Tanganyika. Alpha- and β-diversity values indicated that the chironomid communities on aquatic plants from Lake Bisina and Lake Tanganyika (Burundi) were markedly different. Studies of chironomids and other invertebrates associated with macrophytes in other African lakes will add significantly to knowledge of the natural history of these important aquatic environments.

ABSTRACT This paper presents the status of East African dragonfly species (Odonata) listed globally as threatened on “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species”. The area considered includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Malawi. From a total of 323 species known from these countries, 31 are listed in one of the categories “Near Threatened”, “Vulnerable”, “Endangered” and “Critically Endangered”, while nine are marked as “Data Deficient”. Ecoregions with high numbers of threatened species are the Ethiopian and East African montane forests, Eastern Arc forests and Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic. The highest species diversity is found in the Albertine Rift montane forests ecoregion. Information concerning the distribution, conservation status and biology of these species is given and conservation issues are discussed.