Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Galen Rathbun Hanneline Smit-Robinson
Contributors: Matthew Child Samantha Page-Nicholson
Reviewers: Andrew Taylor

Rationale

Although this species is not locally abundant, it is widespread in suitable habitats over a wide extent of occurrence in South Africa. Because it occupies habitats that are very arid that will not support most development without the availability of water, there are no known threats to the vast majority of the habitats occupied by the Karoo Round-eared Sengi. Areas close to rivers or reliable sources of water may have been developed, or may be developed in the future, as agricultural and urban areas. For example, a narrow area adjacent to and along the Orange River between Namibia and South Africa has been developed, but this is a relatively small area compared to the overall distribution of the Karoo Round-eared Sengi. Relatively small areas also may be impacted by mineral extraction activities, such as around the town of Springbok in South Africa and north along the coast towards the border. Again, this disturbance is confined to a relatively small area compared to the overall distribution of the species. Past, current, and future development in this region of Africa is not expected to have a significant impact on this sengi or its habitats. However, a number of wind and solar farms are proposed throughout the distribution of the species in South Africa and the potential displacement impacts of these renewable energy facilities should be monitored as emerging threats. On the other hand, bush encroachment and desertification, especially related to localised intensive goat and sheep grazing, might adversely alter habitats that these sengis occupy, and these processes should be monitored for possible negative impacts on sengi populations. The species remains listed as Least Concern.

Regional population effects: More or less continuous distribution with rest of African range (Namibia and Botswana).

Distribution

This sengi species is fairly widespread (Rathbun 2009; Dumbacher et al. 2012). Its distribution includes the southern and eastern regions of Namibia, extreme southwestern Botswana and South Africa (Rathbun 2009; Dumbacher et al. 2012). Within South Africa the species occurs in the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape provinces (Rathbun 2009; Dumbacher et al. 2012). This species is confined to a comparatively narrow part of the south-western subregion in the Nama-Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes (Skinner & Chimimba 2005).

Population trend

Trend

Population numbers across much of the species range are assumed to be relatively low (Corbet & Hanks 1968; Rathbun 2005; Smit et al. 2009; Schubert 2011; Dumbacher et al. 2012; Perrin & Rathbun 2013). Almost no data on population dynamics of this species is available (Rathbun & Smit-Robinson 2015), but it is expected that subpopulation sizes will vary greatly in the arid habitats where it occurs (Rathbun & Smit-Robinson 2015). This is possibly correlated to climate regimes and climatic variability (Rathbun & Smit-Robinson 2015).

Threats

There are no known major threats to the species. However, local declines due to habitat modification to relatively small areas may occur near rivers and human population centres due to small-holder and industrial agriculture, mineral extraction, and urban development (Rathbun & Smit-Robinson 2015). Changes in habitats due to desertification and bush encroachment and proposed wind and solar energy (especially in the Northern Cape) facilities may adversely alter habitats for sengis and displace them from such areas, but at present these changes appear neither widespread nor serious, especially since the species is associated with arid habitats.

Uses and trade

There is no indication that this species has ever been used by people for any purposes. It has been infrequently exported to various zoological gardens over the last few decades, where husbandry techniques have been developed, breeding has been achieved, and research results have been published (Olbricht 2009).

Conservation

As this species is widespread, it is not in conflict with most human activities; and it likely occurs in many protected areas (for example, Goegap Nature Reserve, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, Skilpad Nature Reserve, Tankwa Karoo National Park, Mokala National Park, Richtersveld National Park, Augrabies Falls National Park, Namaqua National Park, and Karoo National Park), thus there are no conservation actions recommended at present or in the foreseeable future. Protected area expansion would, however, benefit this species by connecting subpopulations and mitigating fragmentation from solar power developments.

Recommendations for land managers and practitioners:
  • Continue to accumulate information on occurrence points (see www.sengis.org).
  • Land managers should stock cattle or game at ecological levels.
Research priorities:
  • Determining the impacts of habitat shifts, including livestock grazing, on local populations. 
  • Determining the proportion of the total distribution range that occurs in protected areas.
Encouraged citizen actions:
  • Citizens are encouraged to report sightings on virtual museum platforms (for example, iSpot and MammalMAP) with photographic confirmation.

References 

[@book{275,
 address = {Cambridge},
 author = {Skinner, J.D. and Chimimba, C.T.},
 publisher = {Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom},
 title = {The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion},
 year = {2005}
}
,@inbook{1087,
 address = {London},
 author = {},
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 editor = {Bronner, G.N.},
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 title = {Mammals of Africa, Volume I: Introductory Chapters and Afrotheria},
 year = {2013}
}
,@inbook{7136,
 address = {Cambridge, UK},
 author = {},
 booktitle = {Macroscelidea},
 editor = {Rathbun, G.B. (subeditor)},
 pages = {22--34},
 publisher = {Cambridge University Press},
 title = {The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion, 3rd edition},
 year = {2005}
}
,@article{7136,
 author = {Corbet, G.B. and Hanks, J.},
 journal = {Bulletin of the British Museum of Natural History (Zoology)},
 pages = {1--111},
 title = {A revision of the elephant-shrews, family Macroscelididae},
 volume = {16},
 year = {1968}
}
,@inbook{14262,
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}
,@article{7138,
 author = {Smit, H.A., Watson, J, and Jansen van Vuuren, B.},
 journal = {Journal of Biogeography},
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 title = {Relative importance of habitat connectivity in shaping the genetic profiles of two southern African elephant-shrews},
 volume = {37},
 year = {2009}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Dumbacher, J.P., Rathbun, G.B., Smit, H.A. and Eiseb, S.J. },
 journal = {PLOS One},
 number = {3},
 pages = {e32410. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032410 (12 pp + 4 suppl)},
 title = {Phylogeny and taxonomy of the round-eared sengis or elephant-shrews, genus <i>Macroscelides</i> (Mammalia, Afrotheria, Macroscelidea)},
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 year = {2012}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Rathbun, G.B.},
 journal = {African Journal of Ecology},
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 pages = {1--13},
 title = {Why is there discordant diversity in sengi (Mammalia; Afrotheria; Macroscelidea) taxonomy and ecology?},
 volume = {7},
 year = {2009}
}
,@book{45369602,
 address = {Germany},
 author = {Olbricht, G},
 publisher = {Sudwestdeutscher Verlag fur Hochschulschriften, Saarbruchken},
 title = {Reproduction and growth of elephant shrews or sengis (Macroscelidea)},
 year = {2009}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Rathbun, G.B. and Kingdon, J.},
 journal = {Afrotherian Conservation, Newsletter of the IUCN-SSC Afrotheria Specialist Group},
 pages = {14--15},
 title = {The etymology of "sengi"},
 volume = {4},
 year = {2006}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Kerley, G.I.H.},
 journal = {Journal of Zoology},
 pages = {17--27},
 title = {Ecological correlates of small mammal community structure in the semi-arid Karoo, South Africa},
 volume = {227},
 year = {1992}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Dumbacher, J.P., Rathbun, G.B., Osborne, T.O., Griffin, M. and Eiseb, S.},
 journal = {Journal of Mammalogy},
 number = {3},
 pages = {443--454},
 title = {A new species of round-eared sengi (genus <i>Macroscelides</i>) from Namibia},
 volume = {95},
 year = {2014}
}
,@electronic{45369602,
 author = {Rathbun GB, Smit-Robinson H},
 publisher = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015},
 title = {<i>Macroscelides proboscideus</i>},
 year = {2015}
}
,@article{45369602,
 author = {Schubert M},
 journal = {Afrotherian Conservation },
 pages = {12--13},
 title = {A summary of the social system of the round-eared sengi},
 volume = {8},
 year = {2011}
}
,]
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