Red List of South African Species

Alternatively, Explore species
| National Red List categories | Partners |
Near Threatened (NT)
Assessors: IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group South African Frog Re-assessment Group (SA-FRoG)
Contributors: Alan Channing Alex Rebelo Andrew A Turner Atherton L de Villiers Francois Becker James Harvey Jeanne Tarrant John Measey Krystal A Tolley Leslie Minter Louis du Preez Marius Burger Michael Cunningham Ninda Baptista Rob Hopkins Sarah Davies Peter Conradie Yankho Chapeta
Facilitators: Alex Rebelo Elena Garollo John Measey Kelsey Neam
Reviewers: Jennifer Luedtke

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Listed as Near Threatened because, although it has small area of occupancy and extent of occurrence and extreme fluctuations in number of mature individuals, the threats are currently not considered to be sufficiently severe or intense and are being controlled by provincial and local authorities as well as by private nature reserve.

Distribution

This species is known only from two locations on the slopes of the lower Klienrivier and Babilonstoring Mountains, near Hermanus, in Western Cape Province, South Africa, above 200 m asl and up to 1,100 m asl. Though it has a restricted range and extent of occurrence of 101 km2, most of its distribution occurs within protected areas.

Decline

Most of the habitat is within protected areas. Increases in invasive alien plants and too frequent fires may cause declines in the future but these have not yet been quantified.

Population trend

Trend

It occurs in small, widely scattered subpopulations associated with seepages within two locations, one a large mountain range and the other a small mountain range. Fire and post-fire impacts on number of mature individuals are expected to cause large fluctuations in subpopulation sizes (as in other members of this genus), but the species as a whole should be buffered against these fluctuations by the relatively large number of subpopulations within each location if the fires are not severe enough to extirpate the entire location.

Threats

Its habitat is largely protected, although one threat to it is the spread of alien species (in particular pines and hakeas) and too frequent and intense fires which are expected to cause large fluctuations in subpopulation sizes (as in other members of this genus). However, these threats are not considered to be severe or intense but require active management as they will act synergystically.

Uses and trade

There are no records of this species being utilized.

Conservation

Conservation Actions
It occurs in Babilonstoring, Fernkloof, Maanschynkop and Vogelgat Nature Reserves. Removal of alien invasive plant species, already being implemented in some protected areas, should continue across the entire range of this species.

Conservation Needed
Removal of alien invasive species and sound fire management.

Research Needed
Studies on its population size, distribution and trends, life history and ecology, and threats, such as the effects of fire on this and other species of Arthroleptella, are needed. Monitoring population and habitat trends is also needed.


References 

[@electronic{63356,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-3},
 year = {2016}
}
,@book{596,
 address = {Ithaca and London},
 author = {Channing, A.},
 publisher = {Cornell University Press},
 title = {Amphibians of Central and Southern Africa},
 year = {2001}
}
,@book{596,
 address = {Washington, D.C.},
 author = {Minter, L.R., Burger, M., Harrison, J.A., Braack, H.H., Bishop, P.J. and Knoepfer, D.},
 publisher = {SI/MAB Series No. 9},
 title = {Atlas and Red Data Book of the Frogs of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland},
 year = {2004}
}
,@book{1301,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {du Preez, L. and Carruthers, V.},
 publisher = {Struik Nature},
 title = {A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa},
 year = {2009}
}
,@electronic{1301,
 address = {http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.html},
 author = {Frost, D.R.},
 publisher = {American Museum of Natural History},
 title = {Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 (31 March 2016)},
 year = {2016}
}
,@article{58057,
 author = {Channing, A., Hendricks, D. and Dawood, A.},
 journal = {South African Journal of Zoology},
 pages = {240--243},
 title = {Description of a new moss frog from the south-western Cape (Anura: Ranidae: <i>Arthroleptella</i>)},
 volume = {29},
 year = {1994}
}
,]
Send feedback about this assessment to SANBI

Lead agencies, Partners and Funders

See the partners page