Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Ara Monadjem David Jacobs Lientjie Cohen Kate MacEwan Leigh Rosanne Richards Corrie Schoeman Theresa Sethusa Peter Taylor
Contributors: Domitilla Raimondo Matthew Child
Reviewers: Ara Monadjem David Jacobs Lientjie Cohen Kate MacEwan Leigh Rosanne Richards Corrie Shoeman Theresa Sethusa Peter Taylor

Rationale

Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution within the assessments, its tolerance of a broad range of habitats, including human habitation and modified habitats, its presumed large population, it being recorded in several protected areas (including Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park and Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area) and because there are no major identified threats that could cause widespread population decline. Taxonomic resolution of the genus is required to delineate geographical boundaries more accurately.

Regional population effects: It has high wing-loading (Norberg & Rayner 1987; Schoeman & Jacobs 2008), and thus dispersal capacity is assumed to be good. It also occurs in Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area and Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park and thus habitat is connected across regions. Rescue effects are thus possible.

Distribution

This species is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, recorded from most biotic zones and countries. It ranges from Senegal and the Gambia in the west, through West Africa and parts of Central Africa, to Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and Ethiopia in the east; from here it ranges south through much of East Africa and southern Africa, being recorded as far south as eastern South Africa, including Swaziland. Within the assessment region, it has been recorded in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, and Swaziland, through to northern South Africa, Zimbabwe, eastern and northern Botswana, northern Namibia, Zambia and Malawi (Monadjem et al. 2010b). It is absent from the plateau grassland and Karoo regions of South Africa and the Kalahari (Monadjem et al. 2010b), and has not been recorded from Lesotho (Monadjem et al. 2010b; ACR 2015). The estimated extent of occurrence is 622,509 km2.

Population trend

Trend

Little information is available on the abundance or population size of this species but, as many records of this bat exist within the assessment region, it is suspected to be common. The African Yellow Bat roosts singly or in small groups of up to 30 individuals (Skinner & Chimimba 2005), so population size is presumed to be large. Additionally, it is well represented in museums, with over 700 records examined in Monadjem et al. (2010b), which is partly due to its habit of roosting in fabricated structures, including roofs of houses, making it easy to collect.

Threats

There appear to be no major current threats to this species as a whole. Local threats may include the removal of roosting trees for fuelwood, such as in the Soutpansberg Mountains of Limpopo (Munyati & Kabanda 2009; Taylor et al. 2013).

Uses and trade

This species is not known to be utilised or traded.

Conservation

The species is recorded from many protected areas within the assessment region (at least 27 across its range), including Kruger and Mapungubwe National Parks, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve and iSimangaliso Wetland Park. No direct conservation measures are currently needed for this species in the assessment region. However, protecting large trees, and thus limiting disturbance to key roost sites, will benefit this, and other, species.

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:
  • Protect large (especially hollow) trees as roosting sites.
Research priorities:
  • Taxonomic resolution through molecular and morphometric research.
Encouraged citizen actions:
  • Report sightings on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP), especially outside protected areas.
  • Deposit any dead specimens to the Durban Natural Science Museum or Ditsong Museum of Natural History.

References 

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,]
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