Colloquiums

The AFRAS colloquiums are usually held every three years, and serve as a conference where researchers can meet and present results of their research. Notice of upcoming colloquiums is distributed to all AFRAS members, members of the International Society of Arachnology (ISA), and via the internet. This ensures that a fair compliment of international researchers is able to attend the meetings.

The history of the AFRAS Colloquiums can be downloaded here.

Meetings

1st meeting of The Research Group for the Study of African Arachnida (RGSAA) was held in Pretoria, South Africa in August 1986 and organized by Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman of the ARC – Plant Protection Research Institute. It was attended by 30 persons and during the three days 20 papers and 8 posters were discussed. The research group was officially launched during the week.
2nd meeting of the RGSAA was held in Swakopmund, Namibia from 11-15 July 1988 and was organized by Eryn Griffin and Joh Henschel. It was attended by 56 persons including researchers from USA and Germany, and 25 papers and posters were discussed. The group voted on a logo for the RGSAA. A post-colloquium trip was undertaken to the Gobabeb Research Centre.
3rd meeting of the RGSAA was held at the Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa from 16-20 July 1990 and was organized by Peter Croeser. It was attended by 46 persons, including researchers from Belgium and Germany, and 19 papers and 7 posters were discussed. A post-colloquium trip was undertaken to Fanie’s Island in the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park.
4th meeting of the RGSAA was held at the Medical School at Tygerberg in Cape Town, South Africa from 8-14 March 1993 and was organized by Gerbus Müller. It was attended by 46 persons, including researchers from Belgium and Germany, and during the three days 22 papers and 9 posters were discussed. A post-colloquium trip was undertaken to Dwarsriver in the Cedarberg Mountains.
5th meeting of the RGSAA was held at Klein Kariba near Warmbaths from 23-28 November 1995, and was organized by Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman and her team. It was attended by 38 persons including researchers from Belgium, Germany, Israel, UK and USA. During the week 33 papers and posters were discussed. A collecting trip was undertaken at Klein Kariba. The name of the group formally changed to the African Arachnological Society (AFRAS).
6th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held at the National Aquarium Conference Centre in Swakopmund, Namibia from 19-23 April 1999, and was organized by Eryn Griffin and Joh Henschel. It was attended by 32 persons, including researchers from Belgium, Germany, Italy and New Zealand. During the week 23 papers and 5 posters were discussed. A sight-seeing trip was undertaken to the Welwitchia Plain and Bird Paradise.
7th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held at the Durban Natural History Museum in South Africa from 21-26 July 2002, and was organized by Tanza Crouch and her team. It was attended by 25 delegates from five countries. During the week 31 papers and posters were presented. A sight-seeing trip was undertaken in the Durban harbour, and a collecting trip to the Kranzkloof Nature Reserve.
8th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held at the Maselspoort Resort near Bloemfontein, South Africa from 30th of January to the 4th of February 2005, and was jointly hosted by the University of the Free State (Charles Haddad) and the National Museum, Bloemfontein (Leon Lotz). It was attended by 26 delegates from seven countries, and 29 papers and seven posters were presented. A collecting trip was undertaken to the Oliewenhuis gardens and also to the National Botanical Gardens in Bloemfontein. Post-congress trips were undertaken to the Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, and to the Tswalu Game Reserve in the Northern Cape.
9th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held from 3-7 February 2008 at the Lajuma Mountain Retreat in South Africa, and was jointly hosted by the University of Venda (Stefan Foord) and ARC – Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria (Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman and team). Delegates from nine countries attended, and 29 papers and six posters were presented. Collecting was undertaken in surrounding Afromontane forest and savanna, and a demonstration of the canopy fogging that forms part of the Planetary Biodiversity Survey (PBI) for the Oonopidae was also given. A post-congress tour forming part of the latter project was undertaken to several savanna sites in the Limpopo Province.
10th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held from 31 January to 4 February 2011 at the Rhemardo Holiday Resort near Mookgopong in South Africa, and was jointly hosted by the ARC - Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria (Petro Marais and team) and the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria (Robin Lyle). The colloquium was attended by delegates from four countries, and 22 papers and eight posters were presented. Delegates were able to spend a day collecting in bushveld savanna typical of the Limpopo Province.
11th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held from 19 to 24 January 2014 at the Amanzi Private Game Reserve near Brandfort in South Africa, and was jointly hosted by the University of the Free State (Charles Haddad and Jan-Andries Neethling) and the National Museum in Bloemfontein (Leon Lotz). Eighteen oral presentations and 10 posters were presented, as well as several workshops, with delegates from South Africa, Belgium and Russia attending. Field work was undertaken by delegates in typical grasslands and woodlands of the central Free State.
12th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society was held from 22 to 25 January 2017 at the ATKV Goudini Resort and Spa in the Western Cape, South Africa, and was jointly hosted by the University of the Free State (Charles Haddad) and the Agricultural Research Council (Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman and Robin Lyle). A total of 33 oral and 17 posters were presented, as well as a SANSA and Red Listing workshop. Delegates from South Africa, U.S.A., Sudan, Nigeria, Botswana, Czech Republic, Belgium, Zimbabwe and Russia attended, with field work undertaken in fynbos typical of the Cape Floristic Kingdom.
13th Colloquium of the African Arachnological Society returned to the ATKV Klein Kariba Resort in Limpopo, South Africa, and was held from 19 to 23 January 2020. It was jointly hosted by the University of the University of Limpopo (Stefan Foord and Colin Schoeman) and the Agricultural Research Council (Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman and Robin Lyle). In total, 25 oral presentations and 6 posters were delivered, as well as workshops on arachnids in old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs) by Danilo Harms, and on scientific illustrating by Galina Azarkina. Delegates could enjoy collecting in the savanna around the resort, with a day trip organized to the Makapan Caves for collecting.