Louis Heyns Du Preez

Louis Heyns Du Preez (born 9 July 1962) is a South African professor of zoology who specialises in parasitology and herpetology at the North-West University. Du Preez is best known for his research on South African frog species, writing a widely used wildlife guide for the frogs of Southern Africa, and contributions to global parasitology with special focus studies on polystome worms. His contributions to polystome research have led to a recently discovered Malagasy frog species, Blommersia dupreezi , being named in his honour.

Biography Du Preez grew up in Ficksburg and started his tertiary education at the University of the Free State located in the same province he was brought up. In 1986 he obtained his Master of Science degree with the thesis titled 'Polystoma australis (Monogenea): aspekte van ontwikkeling en gedrag wat betrekking het op rekrutering en vestiging'.

From 1989 to 1990 he was a school teacher in Bloemfontein. From 1991 to 1993 he was Head of the Department of Herpetology at the National Museum in Bloemfontein. In 1994 he obtained a PhD degree from the University of the Free State with a thesis titled 'Study of factors influencing the nature and extent of host-specificity among polystomatids (Polystomatidae: Monogenoidea) parasitic in Anura of southern Africa' under the mentorship of Dawid Kok. Du Preez then progressed to being the Senior Lecturer of Zoology at the University of the Free State from 1996 to 2000. From 2001 to 2004 he was appointed associate professor. In 2002 he established the African Amphibian Research Conservation Group and was later promoted Full Professor of Zoology in 2005 at North-West University. In 2011 du Preez was elected Chair of the Zoology Department at North-West University.

Throughout his career he has conducted research in several countries across the world including France, United States, Nigeria, Brazil and China. He is a member of the Zoological Society of Southern Africa, the Herpetological Association of Africa, the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, the Parasitological Association of Southern Africa and the Microscopy Association of Africa.

Publications Louis du Preez published several books and over 100 scientific articles. In addition to several parasite, frog, and reptile species that are new to science, du Preez's species descriptions include the frog species Breviceps carruthersi and Breviceps passmorei from the Rain Frog family (Brevicipitidae), and Hyperolius howelli from the Reed Frog family (Hyperoliidae).

Books Field guide and key to the frogs & toads of the Free State, 1996 Field Guide to the frogs and toads of the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, 2006 Bios: an integrated approach to life sciences teaching and learning, 2007 A complete guide to the frogs of Southern Africa, 2009; 2015 Frogs and frogging in South Africa, 2011 Turtle Polystomes of the world: Neopolystoma, Polystomoidella & Polystomoides, 2011 A Bilingual Field Guide to the Frogs of Zululand (or Isiqondiso Sasefilidini Esindimimbili Ngamaxoxo AkwelaKwaZulu in IsiZulu), 2017 Frogs of Southern Africa: a complete guide, 2017

Scientific publications Source: Breviceps passmorei Minter, Netherlands, and Du Preez, 2017 Gephyromantis feomborona Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Gephyromantis kremenae Miralles, Köhler, Glaw, Wollenberg Valero, Crottini, Rosa, Du Preez, Gehring, Vieites, Ratsoavina, and Vences, 2023 Hyperolius howelli Du Preez and Channing, 2013 Hyperolius inyangae Channing in Channing, Hillers, Lötters, Rödel, Schick, Conradie, Rödder, Mercurio, Wagner, Dehling, Du Preez, Kielgast, and Burger, 2013 Pelomedusa kobe Petzold, Vargas-Ramírez, Kehlmaier, Vamberger, Branch, Du Preez, Hofmeyr, Meyer, Schleicher, Široký & Fritz, 2014 Amphibiophilus mooiensis Svitin & Du Preez, 2018 Camallanus sodwanaensis Svitin, Truter, Kudlai, Smit & Du Preez, 2019 Cosmocerca daly Harnoster, du Preez & Svitin, 2022 Cosmocerca monicae Harnoster, du Preez & Svitin, 2022 Serpinema cayennense Harmoster, Svitin & Du Preez, 2019 Rhabdias delangei Kuzmin, Svitin, Harnoster & du Preez, 2020 Rhabdias blommersiae Kuzmin, Junker, du Preez & Bain, 2013

Flatworms Aussietrema queenslandense (Pichelin, 1995) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Aussietrema spratti (Pichelin, 1995) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Emoleptalea mozambiquensis Curran, Dutton, Warren, du Preez & Bullard, 2021 Eupolystoma namibiense Du Preez, 2015 Fornixtrema elizabethae (Platt, 2000) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema guianense (Du Preez, Badets, Héritier & Verneau, 2017) Du Preez & Verneau, 1920 Fornixtrema liewi (Du Preez & Lim, 2000) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Fornixtrema grossi (Du Preez & Morrison, 2012) Du Preez & Verneau, 2020 Indopolystoma indicum (Diengdoh & Tandon, 1991) Chaabane, Verneau & Du Preez, 2019 Pleurodirotrema chelodinae (MacCallum, 1918) du Preez, Domingues & Verneau, 2022 Pleurodirotrema macleayi (Rohde, 1984) du Preez, Domingues & Verneau, 2022 Polystoma knoffi Du Preez & Domingues, 2019 Polystoma okomuensis Aisien, Du Preez & Imasuen, 2010 Polystoma testimagnum Du Preez & Kok, 1993 Polystoma travassosi Du Preez & Domingues, 2019 Polystomoides cayensis (Du Preez, Badets, Héritier & Verneau, 2017) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides aspidonectis (MacCallum, 1919) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides cayensis (Du Preez, Badets, Héritier & Verneau, 2017) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides cyclovitellum (Caballero, Zerecero & Grocott, 1957) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides domitilae (Caballero, 1938) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides euzeti (Combes & Ktari, 1976) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides orbiculare (Stunkard, 1916) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides rugosa (MacCallum, 1918) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Polystomoides scriptanus Héritier, Verneau, Smith, Coetzer & Du Preez, 2017 Polystomoides soredensis Héritier, Verneau, Smith, Coetzer & Du Preez, 2017 Polystomoides terrapenis (Harwood, 1932) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022 Uteropolystomoides multifalx (Stunkard, 1924) Chaabane, Du Preez, Johnston & Verneau, 2022

Awards 1994: W.O. Neitz medal for the best dissertation in parasitology by the Parasitological Association of Southern Africa.