Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Krystal Tolley
Facilitators: Graham Alexander
Reviewers: Werner Conradie Margaretha Hofmeyr Paula Strauss Josh Weeber

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

The species is widespread and common with no substantial threats.

Distribution

Chamaeleo dilepis is one of the world's most widely distributed chameleons. It is found throughout southern, central and east Africa (Tilbury, 2010), ranging from South Africa northwards to Ethiopia and westwards to Nigeria. The subspecies C. d. dilepis occurs in Eswatini (Swaziland) and the northern and eastern parts of South Africa, extending into savanna areas of the Northern Cape and northwestern Free State (Bates et al. 2014, Tolley and Burger 2007). Translocated individuals have been reported from gardens in Bloemfontein, South Africa (Douglas 1992).

Population trend

Trend

No quantitative information currently available but the species is estimated to be stable.

Threats

There are no substantial threats to this subspecies at present.

Uses and trade

Chamaeleo dilepis is one of the most traded chameleon species (Jenkins et al. 2013), with over 178,000 live individuals exported for trade since 1975 (UNEP-WCMC 2017).  The subspecies C. dilepis dilepis found in South Africa is rarely exported, with just over 600 individuals exported since 1975, and none in the last decade (UNEP-WCMC 2017).

Conservation

No conservation actions are recommended at present, however, a complete phylogenetic analysis covering the species full distribution should be carried out to better inform the taxonomy.

References 

[@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{3009,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Tolley, K.A. and Burger, M.},
 publisher = {Struik},
 title = {Chameleons of Southern Africa},
 year = {2007}
}
,@electronic{3009,
 address = {https://trade.cites.org/},
 author = {UNEP-WCMC},
 title = {CITES Trade Database},
 year = {2017}
}
,@book{42683517,
 address = {Frankfurt, Germany},
 author = {Neças, P.},
 publisher = {Edition Chimaira},
 title = {Chameleons - Nature's Hidden Jewels.},
 year = {2004}
}
,@inbook{42683517,
 address = {Berlin, New York},
 author = {Klaver, C. and Böhme, W},
 booktitle = {Chamaeleonidae},
 pages = {112: XIV, 1--85},
 publisher = {Verlag Walter de Gruyter & Co.},
 title = {Das Tierreich},
 year = {1997}
}
,@book{176308,
 address = {Frankfurt},
 author = {Tilbury, C.R.},
 publisher = {Edition Chimaira},
 title = {Chameleons of Africa: An Atlas, Including the Chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia},
 year = {2010}
}
,@article{176308,
 author = {Douglas, R.M.},
 journal = {Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa},
 pages = {19--20},
 title = {The genera <i>Bradypodion</i> and <i>Chamaeleo</i> in the Orange Free State, South Africa.},
 volume = {40},
 year = {1992}
}
,@inbook{176308,
 address = {Berkeley},
 author = {},
 booktitle = {Chameleon conservation},
 editor = {Jenkins, R, Measey, G.J., Anderson, C.V. and Tolley, K.A.},
 pages = {276},
 publisher = {University of California Press},
 title = {The Biology of Chameleons},
 year = {2013}
}
,@article{176308,
 author = {Main, D., Tolley. K.A. and van Vuuren. B.J. },
 journal = {African Zoology },
 number = {1},
 pages = {11--16},
 title = {Cryptic diversity in the Common Flap-Necked Chameleon, <i>Chamaeleo dilepis</i>},
 volume = {53},
 year = {2018}
}
,]
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