Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Michael Bates Michael Cunningham
Contributors: Josh Weeber
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal A Tolley
Reviewers: Graham Alexander Adriaan Jordaan Paula Strauss Jody Taft

Rationale (Changed due to Criteria Revision|Knowledge of criteria|Incorrect data used previously)

This species is distributed within high elevation areas that are not impacted by habitat loss or fragmentation, and large parts of its range are within protected areas. Although the range is small (extent of occurrence just over 2,000 km2), there are no substantial threats or population declines. The species is therefore listed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains of KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and Lesotho (Bates et al. 2014). The majority of the range is between Giant's Castle and The Sentinel in KwaZulu-Natal, with a northwesterly extension into the Qwaqwa Drakensberg of the Free State, and a single record from Mechachaneng Peak in adjacent northern Lesotho. The distribution is patchy and the species appears to follow the irregular convolutions along the edge of the Drakensberg Escarpment, usually found only on north facing edges.

Population trend

Trend

There is no quantitative information available but the species is inferred to be stable given it distributed in an area with no impacts or threats.

Threats

There is no significant threat from habitat loss in this species range, as it occurs primarily at elevation in  inhospitable rocky habitat. However, because this species occurs at elevation, it is potentially under threat from climate change due to upslope displacement. If the species physiological tolerances are narrow and it cannot adapt to warmer conditions, its range would not be able to adjust upslope.

Uses and trade

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II but it has never been exported from South Africa for trade. It has been reported as exported from Mozambique in 1988 (500 individuals)(UNEP-WCMC 2017). However, this species does not occur in Mozambique, so this most likely represent exports of a cordylid endemic to Mozambique that were erroneously exported under the name Pseudocordylus langi.  

Conservation

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II; it occurs in some protected areas. Research on the species physiological tolerances and species response to climate change would assist to understand how predicated climate change might impact this species. In addition, better information on distribution would allow for the previous suggestion that the species might contain subpopulations (Bates et al. 2014).

References 

[@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@book{612,
 address = {Pretoria},
 author = {Bates, M.F., Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M., Burger, M., Marais, J., Alexander, G.J. and de Villiers, M.S.},
 publisher = {Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute},
 title = {Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland},
 year = {2014}
}
,@electronic{3009,
 address = {https://trade.cites.org/},
 author = {UNEP-WCMC},
 title = {CITES Trade Database},
 year = {2017}
}
,@article{5333,
 author = {Stanley, E.L., Bauer, A.M., Jackson, T.R., Branch, W.R. and Mouton, P. le F.N. },
 journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution},
 pages = {53--70},
 title = {Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)},
 volume = {58},
 year = {2011}
}
,@article{18514,
 author = {Broadley, D.G.},
 journal = {Annals of the Natal Museum},
 pages = {99--110},
 title = {A review of the crag lizards (Genus <i>Pseudocordylus</i>) of Natal},
 volume = {16},
 year = {1964}
}
,@phdthesis{18514,
 author = {Bates, M.F.},
 school = {Ph.D. thesis, University of Stellenbosch},
 title = {An Analysis of the <i>Pseudocordylus melanotus</i> Complex (Sauria: Cordylidae)},
 year = {2007}
}
,@proceedings{18514,
 address = {North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa},
 editor = {Goedbloed, D. and Cunningham, M.},
 series = {Programme & Abstracts of the 8th Herpetological Association of Africa Symposium, 24-27 November 2006},
 title = {Distribution and phylogeography of <i>Pseudocordylus langi</i>, a montane endemic lizard from the Drakensberg Mountains (abstract)},
 year = {2006}
}
,]
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