SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

This species is considered Least Concern because it has a large range and occurs in many protected areas. It is often abundant and not considered threatened by habitat loss. Because the subspecies Tropidosaura montana rangeri is poorly defined from typical T. m. montana, and the relationship of T. m. natalensis to T. essexi must still be resolved, the three subspecies have not been separately assessed. The conservation status of the two eastern subspecies may need to be re-evaluated if they prove to be valid species.

Distribution

Tropidosaura montana montana occurs in the Cape Fold Mountains from the Cederberg in the north to the Cape Peninsula and eastwards to Prince Alfred’s Pass near Knysna and the Kammanasieberg (Bates et al. 2014), with new records from the eastern Baviaanskloof Mountains (W. Conradie pers. comm. 2017). Tropidosaura m. rangeri occurs along the Suurberg range, northwards to the Waterkloof Mountains, and eastward to the coast near East London (Bates et al. 2014, W. Conradie, pers. comm. 2017). Scattered inland populations are associated with grassland and forest edge in the central part of the Eastern Cape (Bates et al. 2014). The eastern subspecies, T. m. natalensis, is found in coastal and montane grasslands of southern KwaZulu-Natal, and into the Eastern Cape Province extending its distribution ca 160 km southwards (Conradie et al. 2017).

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

The population is inferred to be stable given that it has a large range with little anthropogenic impacts.

Threats

Overgrazing of grasslands could be a threat to this species, but this is not considered significant at present.

Uses and trade

This species is not known to be used or traded.

Conservation

The species occurs in a number of protected areas. No conservation actions are recommended.

References

[@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@article{58073,
 author = {Fitzsimons, V.F.M.},
 journal = {Annals of the Natal Museum},
 pages = {111--140},
 title = {Descriptions of new species and subspecies of reptiles and amphibians from Natal, together with notes on some other little known species},
 volume = {11},
 year = {1947}
}
,@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}
}
,@book{2817,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Branch, W.R.},
 publisher = {Struik Publishers},
 title = {Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Edition},
 year = {1998}
}
,@article{178302,
 author = {Engleder, A., Haring, E., Kirchhof, S. and Mayer, W. },
 journal = {Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research},
 number = {1},
 pages = {1--12},
 title = {Multiple nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences provide new insight into the phylogeny of South African Lacertids (Lacertidae, Eremiadinae)},
 volume = {51},
 year = {2013}
}
,@article{197009,
 author = {Conradie, W., duPreez, B. and Venter, J.},
 journal = {African Herp News},
 pages = {40--41},
 title = {Geographical distribution: Lacertidae, <i>Tropidosaura montana natalensis</i> Fitzsimons 1947},
 volume = {65},
 year = {2017}
}
,]

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