A Note on the invertebrates of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park (excluding insects)

Abstract

Invertebrates are conservatively estimated to comprise about three quarters of all living species (Wells, Pyle & Collins 1983, The IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book, Gland : IUCN). Approximately 1 400 000 species of invertebrates have been described compared with 250 000 species of flowering plants and only some 46 000 species of vertebrates. According to Wells et al., some 800 000 known invertebrate species are insects and constant new discoveries indicate that this may be only a fraction of the global total.