The southern African coastline plays host to nine spider species. Two of these, namely Desis formidabilis (O. P.-Cambridge, 1890) (Araneae: Desidae) and Amaurobioides africanus Hewitt, 1917 (Araneae: Anyphaenidae), are recorded as hosts for an intertidal spider egg parasitoid, Echthrodesis lamorali Masner, 1968 (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae: Scelioninae). These two spider species occur from Lüderitz (Namibia) along the coast to East London (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa), while their parasitoid has been known from only a single locality on the Cape Peninsula. The South African coastline was surveyed from Jacobsbaai (Western Cape Province) to East London in an attempt to determine the full distribution of E. lamorali. The wasp was only reared from host eggs collected on the Cape Peninsula, confirming a high degree of endemism for this species.

Information relating to the Afrotropical asilid genus Congomochtherus Oldroyd, 1979 is updated. Seven species are recognised (acuminatus, elferinki, inachus, lobatus, oldroydi, penicillatus, potamius). Heligmonevra rufinota Martin, 1964, which has been transferred to the genus, is digeneric and has consequently been reassigned to Heligmonevra Bigot, 1858. All records of species are provided together with maps showing their distributions. The close association of this genus with freshwater habitats is discussed.

The Afrotropical species of the jumping spider genus Festucula Simon, 1901 are revised. The genus now contains eight species. Three new species, F. haddadi sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa), F. leroyae sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa and Namibia) and F. robustus sp. n. (♂♀ from South Africa) are described. F. australis Lawrence, 1927 is removed from its synonymy with F. festuculaeformis (Lessert, 1925). F. lineata Simon, 1901, previously treated as nomen dubium, is revalidated and redescribed. Three further species, F. australis Lessert, 1933, F. festuculaeformis Lessert, 1933 and F. lawrencei Lessert, 1933, are redescribed.

All primary types of Polyplacophora deposited in the KwaZulu-Natal Museum are presented. The reference to the original publication, including the original generic position, the type locality, the collector and the cited dimensions of the type specimen(s), is provided for each species, followed by information from the label for each type in the NMSA collection (catalogue number, type locality and collector), size of the type specimen, brief remarks and colour photographs.

Potophila verrucosa gen. n. et sp. n. is described based on a male from the West Usambara mountains, Tanzania. The genus and species are characterised by an elongate first flagellomere with the node more than three times as long as the internode, an asymmetrical aedeagus and two parameres carrying rugose morphoventral appendages. Potophila verrucosa cannot be placed in a systematic context with certainty, but several characters are consistent with a relationship to the tribe Psychodini.

This paper presents the results of investigations conducted between 2011 and 2013 to discover additional populations of Mormotomyia hirsuta Austen. These investigations were conducted primarily in the relatively dry savanna of eastern Kenya, focusing on small hills and rocky outcrops resembling that of Ukasi Hill, the type locality of the “terrible hairy fly”. Investigations were conducted at 144 caves and at ground level, directly below 104 above-ground, narrow, horizontally-oriented fissures, often on near-vertical rock faces. Evidence of Mormotomyia was not found in any of the caves investigated. During the dry season, however, desiccated corpses of Mormotomyia were discovered embedded in a matrix of dried bat guano adhering to the rock face directly below fissures at Ngauluka and Makilu Hills, also located in the Ukasi area. Later, rainy season visits to these two hills revealed populations of living Mormotomyia while, contemporaneously, flies were absent from the type locality. Like the type locality, the rock face directly below the fissures on Ngauluka and Makilu was discolored with pink and purple vertical streaking, presumably stained by bat urine and guano. Using the characteristically stained rock face as a search image, expeditions were expanded to include areas further afield and living flies were found at a third site 187 km to the south. Formerly considered “the rarest fly in the world”, the conservation status of Mormotomyia appears robust. Mormotomyia was actively preyed upon in the field by two species of lizards and remains of the fly were found in a jumping-spider nest. During laboratory observations of five live flies, the single male exhibited lengthy periods of female-guarding, with females being enclosed within the span of the much longer and setulose legs of males for more than 10 minutes.