Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Michael Bates Le Fras Mouton
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: Graham Alexander Adriaan Jordaan Paula Strauss Jody Taft Josh Weeber

Rationale (Changed due to Knowledge of criteria)

Although parts of this species range have been impacted by loss in the extent and quality of habitat in the past, these pressures have slowed and the range is not severely fragmented. The species appears to be able to cope with some human development that maintains a semblance of natural habitats, e.g. dry rock walls. Much of the range is well protected. This species is thus considered Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to the extreme southwestern coastal region of the Western Cape, South Africa, occurring as five isolated subpopulations: two at Saldanha, one each on the Langebaan Peninsula and Jutten Island, and the main subpopulation on the Cape Peninsula (Cordes and Mouton 1996, Bates et al. 2014).

Population trend

Trend

No information on population size or trend is currently available, but is inferred to be stable at present

Threats

Some of the range has been transformed by urban developments but this threat has not increased substantially in the last decades. Cordylus niger is melanistic probably to improve thermoregulation capability  in its relatively cool coastal distribution. Therefore, increasing global temperatures as a result of climate change could impact this species. The high prevalence of domestic cats in suburban areas adjoining suitable mountainous habitat takes a toll on these lizards (Bates et al. 2014).

Uses and trade

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II, but has never been exported for pet trade under CITES (UNEP-WCMC 2017).

Conservation

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II; it occurs in some protected areas. Population trends should be monitored and a species recovery plan developed.

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{110159757,
 author = {Cordes, I.G. and Mouton, P. le F.N.},
 journal = {Koedoe},
 pages = {71--83},
 title = {The Saldanha-Langebaan area as a refugium for cool-adapted lizard populations: Conservation priorities},
 volume = {39},
 year = {1996}
}
,]
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