Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Listed as Least Concern because, although it is eaten in parts of its range, it has a wide distribution, is tolerant of a broad range of habitats and has a presumed large population.

Distribution

This species ranges from southern Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania, south to Mozambique, southern Malawi, southern Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, northern and eastern South Africa and Swaziland. There are also subpopulations currently assigned to this species in northern Benin, northern Nigeria and northern Cameroon, and in Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. There are no records in the poorly explored regions between Cameroon and Somalia, and so its occurrence in these areas is not indicated on the distribution map. However, it might occur in the intervening areas in the Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, and also in Togo, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Guinea. It occurs from sea level up to 1,500 m asl in South Africa. 

It is thought to occur sympatrically with Pyxicephalus angusticeps on the Mozambique plain (Scott et al. 2013).

Population trend

Trend

It is a common species in East Africa and is quite common in South Africa. Due to ongoing declines in the extent and quality of habitat in parts of this species' range, it is likely that there are some localised subpopulation declines.

Threats

The major threat through most of its range is harvesting of frogs for local consumption. This species is sometimes also found in the international pet trade but at levels that do not currently constitute a major threat. In western Tanzania, much of the miombo woodland area is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation following conversion to agriculture or overharvesting (see Gardner et al. 2007).

Uses and trade

The species is locally, widely used for human subsistence and is occasionally found in the international pet trade.

Conservation

Conservation Actions
There are large subpopulations in many protected areas.

Lead agencies, Partners and Funders

See the partners page