Bdellodes hessei (Womersley)

Scirus hessei Womersley, 1933a: 111 .

Bdellodes hessei: Meyer & Ryke, 1959a: 379; Atyeo, 1963b: 181; Wallace & Mahon, 1976: 82.

Specimens examined: Site 94­1, 2 males, 1 N; Site 94­3, 4 N; Site 94­5, 1 N; Site 94­7, 2 males; Site 94­11, 1 female, 2 males, 2 N; Site 94­13, 1 female, 3 males, 14 N; Site 94­16, 1 female, 3 males, 1 N; Site 94­17, 1 N; Site 94­19, 2 N; Site 94­20, 1 N; Site 94­27, 1 male, 1N; Site 94­31, 1 male, 1 N; Site 94­33, 2 males; Site 94­35, 1 N; Site 99­9, 1 male; Site 99­19, 1 female; Site 99­20, 1 male; Site 99­22, 1 female; Site 99­23, 1 female; Site 99­25, 1 male; Site 99­26, 3 females; Site 99­27, 1 N; Site 99­29, 1 female, 1 male; Site 2000­1, 11 females, 7 males; Site 2000­4, 1 male; Site 2000­8, 1 male, 1 N; Site 2000­9, 1 female; Site 2000­10, 1 female; Site 2000­11, 1 N; Site 2000­13, 1 female; Site 2000­19, 1 female; Site 2000­20, 4 females; 2000­21, 1 male; Site 2000­24, 2 females; Site 2000­26, 1 male; Site FT204­13, Malmsbury, 28 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 2 females; Site FT204­19, Caledon, 29 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 1 female, 1 male; Site FT204­ 23, 14 miles west of Swellendam, 29 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 2 females, 1 N; Site FT204­28, Albertinia, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 1 female; Site FT204­ 30, Robertson, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, 5 females; Site FT204­31, Worcester, 30 July 1965, M. M. H. Wallace, pasture, 4 females, 3 males; Firgrove, April 1965, M.C. Walters, pasture, 2 females, 4 males; Stellenbosch, 27 August 1967, M. C. Walters, capeweed in vineyard, 1 female, 1 male; Bathurst, Jan 1965, P. Graham, grassland, 1 female.

Bdellodes hessei was described from Stellenbosch (Womersley, 1933a), is found throughout Cape Province (Wallace & Mahon, 1976), and is described as the best known species of Bdellidae in South Africa (Meyer et al., 1973). In the present survey it was found to be widespread but never abundant. It feeds on Collembola, and appears to have been accidentally introduced into Australia, where it occurs around the city of Perth (Wallace & Mahon, 1976). B. hessei has been found associated with RLEM on vegetables in the Western Cape Province (Meyer, 1996), and may be of some value as a predator.