Corresponding author: John Midgley (johnmidge@gmail.com)
Academic editor: Kirstin Williams
To celebrate the 80th birthday of Jason G.H. Londt, we present a collection of articles in his honour. This introduction includes a summary of Jason’s life and career, an overview of the articles in the Festschrift, lists of his scientific and popular publications and a list of species named in his honour. Jason’s contribution to
Dikow T, Midgley J (2023) Jason G. H. Londt: A giant of South African entomology. In: Dikow T, Williams K, Midgley J (Eds) Festschrift for Jason Gilbert Hayden Londt. African Invertebrates 64(2): 13–40.
Jason G. H. Londt has made a notable impact on South African and International Entomology over a career of more than 50 years. 2023 marks Jason’s 80th birthday and it is fitting to publish a Festschrift in honour of this milestone. This Festschrift recognizes the outstanding contributions that Jason has made to entomological research on flies, especially assassin or robber flies (
Jason Gilbert Hayden Londt (Figs
Jason has contributed a remarkable amount to entomology in South Africa and the world. During a career of 51 years, Jason published 137 scientific papers and book chapters, 29 popular articles and six popular books (see Appendix
List of species named in honour of Jason Londt.
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Jason published his first scientific article, the description of
The majority of Jason’s work focused on the Afrotropical
While most of Jason’s publications were taxonomic, he also published on the fauna of specific regions, such as Malawi (
Jason joined the
Jason published his first article on assassin flies, focusing on the genus
Graphical summary of 88 taxonomic revisionary studies published by Jason Londt on
The new species descriptions are spread among 70 genera from ten of the 12 currently recognized subfamilies recorded for the Afrotropics. The only two subfamilies known from the Afrotropical Region that Jason did not describe new species in are
The vast majority of new taxa were described in
The highest number of new species in a single manuscript was published in 1988 in the
Jason usually included single genera in his manuscripts, but when he reviewed the fauna of a particular region he included several genera. The largest of these was his review of the fauna of The Gambia, based on 298 Gambian
Jason published his taxonomic
While Jason’s taxonomic reviews and keys represent the core of his
Jason also published three interesting faunistic studies. The first was based on material in the
The “Manual of Afrotropical
Almost half of new species described by Jason are based on his own collecting throughout South Africa (the
Map of southern Africa with collecting localities at which Jason Londt collected
Jason also collected
Map of the Afrotropical Region with localities where Jason Londt collected
The fauna of assassin or robber flies of southern Africa is arguably one of the best-known of any region on the planet. That is in large part because of Jason’s dedicated field-work and research on this fauna since 1977. This area with diverse habitats such as Mediterranean fynbos and macchia, Namib and Kalahari deserts, Mopane woodlands, subtropical coastal forests, high altitude mountain plateaus, savanna, and Succulent and Nama Karoo covers the countries Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique (south of the Zambesi river), Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The southern African
Commemorative award celebrating the career of Jason Londt presented at ICD9 in Windhoek, Namibia in 2018.
Summary of the accumulation of described southern African
Southern Africa is also very diverse in terms of genera of
Jason presented his research on
Jason’s outstanding ability to collect and mount assassin flies, flies in general, and other insects will impact the discovery of new southern African species for many years. One way to visualize his impact in adding specimens to the collection at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum and his study of specimens from many other natural history museums is through his Bionomia record at
Jason has contributed immensely over a career of 43 years of publishing on
In a way, the summary chapter on assassin flies in the
Following this introduction, this Festschrift includes three articles on Jason’s impact on entomology. Firstly, a catalogue of the types Jason deposited or designated at the Natural History Museum, London was compiled by Erica McAlister and Peter Wing. Kirstin Williams, Jacobus Steenkamp and Louwrens Snyman summarize Jason’s general collection at the KwaZulu-Natal Museum and Martin Villet gives an overview of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum
We thank all authors who have contributed to this Festschrift. Ann Londt is thanked for confirming biographical information. Brian Wilmot is thanked for discussions on Jason’s university days.
Londt JGH (1970) A new species of
Londt JGH (1971) Ecological studies on the non-parasitic larval stages of some tick species in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa (
Londt JGH (1972) Redescriptions of two African species of
Londt JGH (1972) The
Londt JGH, Whitehead GB (1972) Ecological studies of larval ticks in South Africa (
Arthur DR, Londt JGH (1973) The parasitic cycle of
Londt JGH (1973) Aspects of the biology of
Londt JGH (1973) The preoviposition period of
Londt JGH (1974) “Corneus spots” in insects. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 37: 5–14.
Londt JGH (1974)
Londt JGH, Byers GW (1974) A new neotropical
Londt JGH (1975) A rapid spectrophotometric method for the monitoring of embryonic development in ticks (
Londt JGH, Arthur DR (1975) The structure and parasitic life cycle of
Londt JGH (1976) Fertilization capacity of
Londt JGH (1976) Redescriptions of
Londt JGH, Spickett AM (1976) Gonad development and gametogenesis in
Londt JGH (1977) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1977) Oviposition and incubation in
Londt JGH (1977) Redescriptions of
Londt JGH, Van der Bijl EB (1977) The life cycle of the two-host tick
Londt JGH (1978) A new South African
Londt JGH (1978) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1979) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1979) The genus
Londt JGH, Horak IG, de Villiers IL (1979) Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XIII. The seasonal incidence of adult ticks (
Londt JGH (1980) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1980) The genus
Londt JGH (1981) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1981)
Londt JGH (1981) The genera
Londt JGH (1981) The Scorpionflies of Malawi (
Londt JGH (1982) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1982) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1983) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1983) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1983) The genus
Londt JGH (1985) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1985) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1985) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1985) New species of
Londt JGH (1985) Order
Londt JGH (1986) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1986)
Londt JGH (1987) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1987) Notes on the biology and immature stages of
Londt JGH, Harris MS (1987) Notes on the biology and immature stages of
Londt JGH, Tsacas L (1987) The genus
Londt JGH (1988) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1988) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1989) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1989) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1990) A new genus,
Londt JGH (1990) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1990) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1991) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1991)
Picker M, Leon B, Londt JGH (1991) The hypertrophied hindwings of
Londt JGH (1992) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1992) Revision of three small Afrotropical asilid genera,
Londt JGH (1993) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1993) Afrotropical robber fly (
Londt JGH (1993)
Londt JGH (1993)
Londt JGH (1994) A catalogue of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1994)
Londt JGH (1994) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1994) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1994) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1995) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1995) An atlas of the
Londt JGH (1996) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1997) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1998) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1998) Analysis of twenty six years of robberfly data from Willowmore in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa (
Londt JGH (1999) A new species of
Londt JGH (1999) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (1999) Butterfly predation by robber flies (
Londt JGH (1999) Transfer of
Londt JGH, van Noort S (1999) Hangingflies (
Londt JGH, Coe M, Russel-Smith T (1999) Asilids (
Dikow T, Londt JGH (2000) A review of
Dikow T, Londt JGH (2000) A review of the genera
Londt JGH (2000) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2000) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2001)
Londt JGH (2002) A survey of grassland
Londt JGH (2002) Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2002) The status of
Londt JGH (2003) A revision of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH (2004) A review of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH (2004) A revision of
Londt JGH (2004) The status of
Londt JGH, Kroukamp G (2004) Ear-invading
Londt JGH (2005) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2005) An annotated key to the genera of Afrotropical
Kroukamp G, Londt JGH (2006) Ear-invading arthropods: a South African survey: clinical practice: SAMJ forum. South African Medical Journal 96: 290–292.
Londt JGH (2006) A review of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH (2006) A review of the Afrotropical species of
Londt JGH (2006) Predation by Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2007) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2007) A review of the genus
Londt JGH (2007) The distribution and biology of
Londt JGH (2008) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2008) A review of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH (2009) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2009) A review of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH, Deane J (2009) Dr Brian Roy Stuckenberg (7.04. 1930—8.02. 2009). African Invertebrates 50: 213–215.
Londt JGH, Deane J (2009) Obituary: Dr Brian Roy Stuckenberg (1930-2009). Rostrum: Newsletter of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 2009: 2–3.
Dikow T, Meier R, Vaidya GG, Londt JGH (2010) Chapter Twelve. Biodiversity research based on taxonomic revisions—A tale of unrealized opportunities. In:
Londt JGH (2010) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2010) A review of
Londt JGH (2010) A taxonomic analysis of Gambian
Londt JGH (2011) A review of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2012) A new Namibian
Londt JGH (2012) An updated checklist of the robber flies of Gambia with the description of a new
Londt JGH (2012)
Londt JGH (2012) The genus
Londt JGH (2013) A remarkable new genus of robber flies,
Londt JGH (2013) A revision of
Londt JGH, Copeland RS (2013) A review of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH, Vieira R (2013) A new
Londt JGH (2014) A new species of
Londt JGH (2014) A revision of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2014) A revision of
Londt JGH (2014) The Afrotropical robber fly genus
Londt JGH (2015) A review of the genus
Londt JGH (2015)
Londt JGH (2015) Taxonomic observations regarding four genera of Afrotropical robber flies,
Londt JGH (2016) A review of the genus
Londt JGH, Dikow T (2016) A review of the genus
Londt JGH, Dikow T (2017) 48
Londt JGH, Dikow T (2017) A revision of the Afrotropical genus
Londt JGH, Copeland RS (2017)
Londt JGH, Dikow T (2018) A review of the assassin-fly genus
Londt JGH (2019) A revision of Afrotropical
Londt JGH (2019) A revision of
Londt JGH, Dikow T (2019) A review of Southern African
Londt JGH (2020) A survey of grassland
Londt JGH (1973) Book Review. A field guide to the Insects of North America and Mexico. Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa 36(1): 181.
Londt JGH (1997) Book Review: Dragonflies of the Natal Drakensberg. Natalia 27: 121–122.
Londt JGH (2002) Book Review. Insects on Palms. Howard F.W., Moore D., Giblin-David R.M. & Abad R.G. 2001. Newsletter of the Southern African Society for Horticultural Sciences 1/2002: vii.
Londt JGH (2002) Book Review. Insects on Palms. Howard F.W., Moore D., Giblin-David R.M. & Abad R.G. 2001. Antenna 26(3): 180–181.
Londt JGH (1978) Log Life. In: Toktokkie (p. 1). Supplement to African Wildlife 32(1).
Londt JGH (1978) What is it ? - A mantid egg capsule. In: Toktokkie (p. 2). Supplement to African Wildlife 32(2).
Londt JGH (1978) Mosquitoes. In: Toktokkie (p. 3). Supplement to African Wildlife 32(4).
Londt JGH (1978) Garden Friends. In: Toktokkie (p. 2). Supplement to African Wildlife 32(6).
Londt JGH (1979) Bagworms. In: Toktokkie (p. 3). Supplement to African Wildlife 33(4).
Londt JGH (1982). Flies and still more flies. Scientific Progress 15 (2): 4. (Also in Afrikaans).
Londt JGH (1983) A snail killing snail. In: Wild News for young conservationists. Natal Wildlife April 1983: 19.
Londt JGH (1983) Common insects No. 1. Fishmoths, Lice and Fleas. Toktokkie 4 (5): 11. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1983) Common insects No. 2. Dragonflies, damselflies and mayflies. Toktokkie 4 (6): 11. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 3. Termites and grasshoppers. Toktokkie 5 (1): 15. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 4. Cockroaches, mantids, walkingsticks and earwigs. Toktokkie 5 (2): 15. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 5. True Bugs. Toktokkie 5 (3): 11. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 6. Caddisflies and butterflies. Toktokkie 5 (4): 15. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 7. Beetles and lacewings. Toktokkie 5 (5): 15. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1984) Common insects No. 8. Ants, wasps, bees and flies. Toktokkie 5 (6): 15. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1985) What is a “Christmas Beetle”? Toktokkie 6 (6): 6. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1986) Look mum no hands! or How a snake feeds itself. Toktokkie 7 (2): 5–7. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1988) Robber Flies – important but much neglected predators. Cultura Natal 15 (4): 7–8.
Londt JGH (1992) Natal Butterfly Atlas: Progress report and call for assistance. Metamorphosis 3 (2): 70.
Londt JGH (1993) New taxonomic terminology. Antenna 17 (1): 2.
Londt JGH (1993) Natal butterfly atlas: progress report and further call for assistance from private collectors. Metamorphosis 4 (1): 38–40.
Londt JGH (1994) `Dispecific’ and `digeneric’ - readers’ feedback. Antenna 18 (1): 4–6.
Londt J (1995) Termites and birds. Blue Swallow 8 (2): [2–3]. [June 1995]
Londt JGH (1996) Entomological monument unveiled. Antenna 20: 24.
Londt JGH (1997) More monuments to insects. Rostrum 47 (August): 4.
Londt JGH (1997) More monuments to insects. Antenna 21 (4): 180.
Londt JGH (1997) Whinchat at Umhlanga. Blue Swallow 10 (3): 7–8.
Londt JGH (1999) Birds attracted to sunflowers. Blue Swallow 12 (1): 3
Londt JGH (2001) Witsand revisited. Blue Swallow 14 (1): 18–20.
Londt JGH (1984) A Beginners Guide to the Insects. A Wildlife Handbook. Wildlife Society of SA, Durban, 100 pp.
Londt JGH (1988) Life in Compost. De Jager HAUM (Insight Series), Pretoria, 48 pp. (also in Afrikaans)
Londt JGH (1993) Talking of Creepy Crawlies. A Wildlife Handbook. Wildlife Society of SA, Durban, 103 pp.
Londt JGH (1994) A Guide to the Insects of southern Africa. The Wildlife Society of Southern Africa.
Pringle J, Londt J (1995) The Chronicles of a Service Club: The story of the Pietermaritzburg Rotary Club, 1925–1992. Rotary Club of Pietermaritzburg, Pietermaritzburg, 98 pp.
Londt J (2009) Suburban Wildlife in KZN. WESSA, KZN, 124 pp.