iSimangaliso Wetland Park embraces its heritage
with new discoveries
Edwardsia isimangaliso
“We are celebrating South Africa’s National Heritage Day this Monday the 24th of September and the
40th year of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention with the announcement of the recent discovery and naming of a new species of sea anemone, Edwardsia isimangaliso. We are also waiting for
confirmation of a further seven new species – including the oddly-named ‘hairy backs’”, says Andrew
Zaloumis, iSimangaliso CEO. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa’s first world heritage site,
was inscribed for three outstanding universal values, one of which was biodiversity. One hundred
and eighty nine member countries to the convention agree iSimangaliso is unique – one of a kind.
Edwardsia isimangaliso has been seen in the South Lake area between Charters Creek and Catalina
Bay. The genus Edwardsia is unusual amongst sea anemones in that it lives half buried in sand and
displays a large number of long, tapering tentacles.
The other seven species in the wings comprise two bivalves (clams), two crustaceans (a crab and
a copepod) and three or four species of gastrotrichs (hairy backs) that researchers are quite confident could be new species. Some are currently under description while others await the results of
detailed DNA analyses and morphological work. A conclusive study and final confirmation of the new
gastrotrich species will be conducted in February 2013 when Prof Todaro, from Modena, Italy visits
St Lucia. The project leader is Prof Renzo Perissinotto from the School of Life Sciences, University
of KwaZulu-Natal.
Edwardsia isimangaliso, a new species recently discovered by estuarine ecologist Prof Renzo Perissinotto
while undertaking an iSimangaliso registered research project. This is one of 167 iSimangaliso-registered
research projects currently underway in the Park. Photo supplied by MSc student David Dyer School of Life
Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
According to Prof Renzo Perissinotto, “Edwardsia isimangaliso is arguably of special conservation
importance because it is the only one in the genus (and among only a few anemones) able to survive
salinities in excess of sea water. Survival in Lake St Lucia would also require it to be able to survive
periodic freshwater conditions which would add further to its unique nature. It may, therefore, represent the Lake’s relict of a lineage that diversified millions of years ago and may now be so adapted
to the specific conditions of St Lucia to be micro-endemic to the system and unable to disperse successfully elsewhere.”
“This exciting discovery reinforces yet again the importance of conserving of this unique area and
protecting the integrity of the only habitat where the species is currently known to occur” says Andrew
Zaloumis, iSimangaliso CEO.
Its discovery and identification have some interesting scientific history. During research surveys
undertaken by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in iSimangaliso’s Lake St Lucia Estuary since 2004
under Professor Renzo Perissinotto, several specimens of an unidentified vermiform or “worm-like”
organism were retrieved from sediment samples collected on the shores of the southern part of
South Lake. In the process of preserving these animals, the anemone withdrew its tentacles completely inside the body, thereby acquiring the superficial appearance of an unsegmented worm, of
the sipunculid or priapulid type. In an attempt to identify the specimens preserved in the samples,
photographs were sent out to a number of local estuarine ecologists. Most of them identified it as
belonging to the “Sipuncula” group. Fortunately complete specimens as well as photographs were
also sent to Prof Marymegan Daly of the Museum of Biological Diversity at the Ohio State University
in the USA, one of only two taxonomists globally that have the necessary expertise to identify these
anemones to species level. She concluded that the animal was in fact a true burrowing anemone
and was surprised by the low number of tentacles (12-16) and the hypersaline habitat (up to 56 parts
per thousand salt content) in which it was found. The normal habitat is in the sea where the salinity
is about 35 parts per thousand. Her conclusion was that this was a species previously unknown to
science.
While it is possible that the species may have a wider distribution range and occur further to the north and
south of Lake St Lucia, this is thus far the only known record and unless other populations are found elsewhere, the Lake St Lucia Estuary will be the only known habitat. There are strong indications that this might
be the case as collections have been made in estuaries north and south of Lake St Lucia over many years.
Equally however, collections over many years in Lake St Lucia have produced this unique anemone so this
adds to the mystery surrounding this animal.
Recent years have also yielded the discovery of a new species of fish from the Blenny family, and
new distribution records for the Tiger angelfish and Apolemitchthys kingi, seen on the sunken DAR
barges by Mike Fraser and Dennis King who discovered them and after whom the latter has been
named. The DARs are two artificial reefs just south of Cape Vidal in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The barges were removed after becoming stranded and beached in the wilderness area north of
Vidal, and scuttled in 2009 after successful removal form the shore. Other sightings of locally rare
species such as the seldom-spotted bird, the golden pipit, and the giant mushroom Macrocybe
lobayensis, remind us of the wisdom of those who successfully campaigned to prevent dune mining
and instead protect this magnificent area for future generations.
The Yellowtail blenny – a new species of the Blenny family seen on the sunken DAR barges. Photo supplied
by Dennis King.
The golden pipit seen at uMkhuze section of iSimangaliso in December 2009 – the first recorded sighting in
KwaZulu-Natal, according to then Birdlife Chairperson, Duncan Pritchard. Photo supplied by Brian Chedzey.
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The discovery of a Macrocybe lobayensis on the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia caused mycologists some
excitement.
Newsflash No.:2012.09.21