Red List of South African Species

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

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

A widespread and common species with no major threats andis therefore listed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to the western and central areas of South Africa and southern Namibia (Branch 1998, Bates et al. 2014). In the east, the distribution extends almost to the Lesotho border. Earlier records in Lesotho and along the KwaZulu-Natal border have not been confirmed. These lizards are absent from the southern coastal regions.

Population trend

Trend

This species is inferred to be stable, given its large distribution and overall extent of natural habitat remaining within its distribution.

Threats

There are no major threats to this species.

Uses and trade

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II. In the last decade, there have been very few exports (<50 individuals) for pet trade, and these were reported as being captive bred in origin (UNEP-WCMC 2017). Wild caught individuals from South Africa exported for pet trade number less than 10 in total. There was one large export of 500 individuals in 1988 from Mozambique, but this likely represents exportation of Mozambican species under the name Karusasaurus polyzonus because this species does not occur in Mozambique.


Conservation

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II; it occurs in many protected areas across its wide range. 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}
}
,@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. Second Edition},
 year = {1998}
}
,@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{5336,
 author = {De Waal, S.W.P.},
 journal = {Memoirs of the National Museum of Bloemfontein},
 pages = {1--160},
 title = {The Squamata (Reptilia) of the Orange Free State, South Africa},
 volume = {11},
 year = {1978}
}
,@article{110161123,
 author = {Mouton, P. le F.N., Nieuwoudt, C.J., Badenhorst, N.C. and Flemming, A.F.},
 journal = {Journal of Herpetology},
 pages = {526--531},
 title = {Melanistic <i>Cordylus polyzonus</i> (Sauria: Cordylidae) populations in the Western Cape, South Africa: Relics or ecotypes?},
 volume = {36},
 year = {2002}
}
,@article{110161123,
 author = {Engelbrecht, H.M., Mouton, P. le F.N. and Daniels, S.R.},
 journal = {African Zoology},
 number = {1},
 pages = {146--155},
 title = {Are melanistic populations of the Karoo girdled lizard, <i>Karusasaurus polyzonus</i>, relics or ecotypes? A molecular investigation},
 volume = {46},
 year = {2011}
}
,]
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