A range-restricted endemic taxon from Mpumalanga Province, South Africa (EOO 80 km<sup>2</sup>). There are four locations. The quality of the habitat is declining because of the expansion of pine and eucalyptus plantations and the invasion of alien vegetation. The taxon thus qualifies globally under the IUCN criteria as Endangered under criterion B. The 2013 assessment was too lenient. The change in status was made by more rigorous application of the same information used previously and thus the change in status from Vulnerable to Endangered is therefore non-genuine change.
Distribution
Endemic to Mpumalanga Province in South Africa, between Hendriksdal in the south and Mariepskop in the north on the Drakensberg escarpment.
Decline
The main causes of habitat decline in the past, present and future are invasion of alien vegetation and expansion of pine and eucalyptus plantations.
Currently the habitat is declining in quality as a result of encroachment of alien vegetation and due to activities associated with forestry.
Conservation
The habitat of all four subpopulations needs to be protected from anthropogenic activities such as agroforestry and needs to be cleared of any alien vegetation that may invade these habitats.
[@book{772,
address = {Johannesburg &Cape Town},
author = {Mecenero, S., Ball, J.B., Edge, D.A., Hamer, M.L., Henning, G.A., Krüger, M., Pringle, E.L., Terblanche, R.F. & Williams, M.C. (eds)},
publisher = {Saftronics (pty) Ltd and Animal Demography Unit, University of Cape Town},
title = {Conservation assessment of butterflies of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland: Red List and Atlas.},
year = {2013}
}
,@article{772,
author = {SANBI},
journal = {South African National Biodiversity Institute},
pages = {0},
title = { Vegetation Map of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland [vector geospatial dataset] 2012. Available from the Biodiversity GIS website.},
volume = {0},
year = {2012}
}
,@article{890,
author = {Mucina, L. & Rutherford, M.C. (eds)},
journal = {Strelitzia},
pages = {0},
title = {The Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.},
volume = {19},
year = {2006}
}
,@book{893,
author = {Williams, M.C.},
publisher = {CD-ROM. Available from the author at mark.williams[at]up.ac.za.},
title = {Butterflies and skippers of the Afrotropical Region.},
year = {2016}
}
,@phdthesis{15414,
author = {Edge, D.A.},
school = {0},
title = {Ecological factors influencing the survival of the Brenton Blue butterfly <i>Orachrysops niobe</i> (Trimen) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae).},
year = {2005}
}
,]
