Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Bryan Maritz Johan Marais
Contributors: Josh Weeber
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal A Tolley Neil Cox
Reviewers: Michael Bates Juan-Jacques Forgus Krystal A Tolley Luke Verburgt

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

A fairly widespread species but seldom seen because of its fossorial habits. It has a large extent of occurrence (>82,000 km2) and although there is habitat transformation within its distribution, a large portion of the distribution is within protected areas. The species is therefore considered Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to southern Africa and near endemic to South Africa (Bates et al. 2014). It is distributed in two disjunct subpopulations: one reaching from Mapelane, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and into southern Mozambique, and the other located in Limpopo Province, South Africa and possibly extreme eastern Botswana (Broadley 1990, Broadley and Blaylock 2013) although this needs confirmation. However, these subpopulations may be continuous when considering how poorly adjoining Mozambique is sampled and how difficult it is to detect these animals. It may also occur in southern Zimbabwe, but has not been recorded from there to date (Broadley and Blaylock 2013).

Population trend

Trend

No information currently available. Population is thought to be stable. No population size estimates are currently available.

Threats

Although there is no information, it is assumed there are no major threats to this species.

Uses and trade

No known utilization

Conservation

Better information regarding its distribution in Mozambique, as well as Zimbabwe and Botswana would improve confidence in the extent of occurrence and whether the two known subpopulations are isolated.

References 

[@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@book{612,
 address = {Pretoria},
 author = {Bates, M.F., Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M., Burger, M., Marais, J., Alexander, G.J. and de Villiers, M.S.},
 publisher = {Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute},
 title = {Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland},
 year = {2014}
}
,@book{2817,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Branch, W.R.},
 publisher = {Struik Publishers},
 title = {Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Second Edition},
 year = {1998}
}
,@book{10242,
 address = {Parklands, South Africa},
 author = {Broadley, D.G.},
 publisher = {Jonathan Ball and Ad. Donker Publishers},
 title = {FitzSimons' Snakes of Southern Africa},
 year = {1990}
}
,@book{23102,
 address = {Frankfurt am Main},
 author = {Broadley, D.G. and Blaylock, R.},
 publisher = {Edition Chimaira},
 title = {The Snakes of Zimbabwe and Botswana},
 year = {2013}
}
,]
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