SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

This species has a large range (estimated extent of occurrence is 1,442,577 km²) within the assessment region, occurring in most regions (besides much of the Highveld grasslands) including many protected areas and modified habitats. It is presumed to be abundant, with roosts containing hundreds of individuals, and faces no major threats. Hence it is listed as Least Concern.

Regional population effects: The range of this species extends across most of southern Africa, and dispersal is likely between South Africa and Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Although it has low wing-loading (Monadjem et al. 2010), it is capable of dispersing great distances. For example, a banded individual was recovered 100 km from where it was originally captured by Monadjem (2005).

Distribution

Broadly distributed across savannah and riparian zones, this species is predominantly found in sub-Saharan Africa. However, it has also been recorded in Morocco, Libya, Egypt (primarily down the Nile River valley, but also into Sinai) and the Middle East (Israel, Palestine and Jordan). Its altitudinal range extends from sea level to about 2,000 m asl (ACR 2015). It is absent from the open semiarid grassland regions of southern Botswana. It is common in the assessment region, occurring in all provinces of South Africa, as well as in Swaziland but not Lesotho. It is common in the North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, but is considered rare in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape (Figure 1; Skinner and Chimimba 2005), and is absent from much of the plateau grasslands (Monadjem et al. 2010). Its estimated extent of occurrence is 1,442,577 km².

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

It is fairly common through most of its African range and is particularly common throughout the assessment region. Both day and night roosts may contain hundreds of individuals (Monadjem 1998), thus we infer a large population size. Overall, it is well represented in museums, with over 1,200 specimens examined by Monadjem et al. (2010). Monadjem (2001) found the adult sex ratio to be highly skewed and seasonally variable in this species, with females usually outnumbering males by 2.8:1 between July and December.

Threats

There are currently no major threats to this species. Habitat destruction and degradation have been identified as threats in other regions of this speciesâ range, such as the Mediterranean (ACR 2015). Climate change and the associated increase in ambient temperature has been identified as a threat for bat species, and specifically in N. thebaica water stress and aerial hawking are considered factors at risk due to climate change (Sherwin et al. 2013). As a cave-roosting species, N. thebaica may be threatened by human disturbance at roost sites as a result of traditional ceremonies and tourism, which frequently take place in caves.

Uses and trade

There is no evidence to suggest that this species is traded or harvested within the assessment region.

Conservation

The species occurs in more than 10 protected areas within the assessment region and is found in many large reserves including Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, thus is considered well protected. Continued protection of the roost sites outside protected areas is required. Additionally, cavities in large trees, such as Baobabs, provide critically important cool microhabitats for this species, and may assist in buffering increases in ambient temperature associated with climate change (Toussaint and McKechnie 2012). Thus, the protection and preservation of these trees is considered crucial for the prolonged local presence of this species.

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:

Protect and preserve large trees, which provide critically important cool, microhabitats for this species.
Reduce pesticide use in agricultural landscapes.

Research priorities:

Seasonal behaviour and movement patterns.
Population size and trends.
Investigations into how climate change may affect this species.

Encouraged citizen actions:

Citizens can assist the conservation of the species by reporting sightings on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP), and therefore contribute to an understanding of the species distribution.

References

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}
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}
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,]

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Red List of South African Species