Day 3: Eager start to collect samples

Early morning at the camp started with a buzz of activity. People are setting up traps and nets, mixing concoctions to attract insects and preparing camera shoots and interviews for the media. Containers for

specimens are lined up and the "lab" is ready to receive the samples for processing, labeling and identification.

The work has started in earnest…the ant and spider ladies have caught their first specimens last night and early this morning. Everyone is looking out for these little creatures. Isa found a spider in a cool bag and Nicci came from the bathroom with another tiny one dangling from its string. The prospect for the findings for the rest of the day can only be interesting and exciting. What will be the most interesting find of each discipline for today? While all these researchers are out in the field looking for and collecting specimens, the rest of us are setting up camp and organising vehicles, food and T-shirts. The Klipbokkop team is renowned for supporting outreaches and launches and this is the third iBol project that they are involved in.

With full moon is rising Andrew Deacon gave a humorous report back of the day's activities, with each group giving a bit more detail of the day's highlights:

From the botanists: The highlight of the day was the Peddiea Africana - Poison-Olive (Thymelaeaceaea - Daphne Family). This species is not endemic to KZN or Kosi Bay, but is a great looking member of the Daphne family.

The report from the fungi expert, Marieke: It is still very dry so not much mushrooms and other larger fungi are around.  But this does not mean that they are not here because they are around, but have not yet fruited.  So I busied myself by looking for some spectacular fungal diseases on the plants.  I was the most excited by a rust found on Tricalysia. Rusts always have beautiful fruiting bodies. Rusts are pathogens of plants and can usually not be cultured.  Another good one was a tar spot fungus on a leaf with fruiting bodies in rings, and a good sooty mold.  All of these fungi are small, and one needs to isolate them from these disease symptoms to work further with them. A microscope will also show how beautiful these small fungi really are.

Tar spot fungus

Robin, the spider expert reported: The spider found by Isa was just the start of many spiders that was
collected. Most of the morning putting in some pitfall traps in hope of catching a few interesting crawlies, tomorrow the traps will be checked. Hold thumbs that we get lucky. During the day today various
families were collected, with some Salticidae, also commonly as jumping spiders.

Insect expert, Christiaan, said that he has been putting out traps like a light trap and there were at least 30 species of night flying insects in this trap. Amongst others they found the well known big dung beetle Pachylomera femoralis.

The fish experts have already identified and processed 30 species. A certain oyster species found by the group, Saccostrea foskahli, which was regarded as a sub-species to date, might well be a new species;
the DNA-process can prove it.

Richard sampling, while Danie filmed

According to the Ant expert, Brigitte, this north eastern part of the country will reveal many surprises and she has already collected about 32 different species of ants and she is eagerly awaiting tomorrow to check on the traps set today.