SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

This species is widespread and seemingly abundant in places, with no major threats across a large part of its range and it is therefore assessed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Widespread and endemic to South Africa, where it occurs in two allopatric subpopulations (Bates et al. 2014). One subpopulation is in the Western and Eastern Cape, where it occurs mainly in Fynbos and Grassland Biomes, but with at least one record each in Forest (Tsitsikamma, see Branch 1990) and Nama-Karoo Biomes. The other subpopulation is centred around the montane grasslands of the Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal, and could possibly occur in eastern Lesotho although there are no records from there.

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

The population is inferred to be stable.

Threats

There are no major threats to this species.

Uses and trade

Not known to be utilized in any way.

Conservation

This species occurs in many protected areas across its wide range. Although Tetradactylus seps is apparently common in the Western Cape, the large-scale destruction of fynbos habitat in this region is of concern (see Le Roux 2002, Jonas et al. 2006, Rouget et al. 2006) so improved information on the species occurrence in this area would be useful. This species is under far less pressure in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. However, if the putative subspecies T. s. laevicauda in KwaZulu-Natal proves to be a valid taxon, it will require a separate assessment.

References

[@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@book{19520513,
 address = {Pretoria, South Africa.},
 author = {Mucina, L. and Rutherford, M.C.},
 publisher = {Strelitzia 19. South African National Biodiversity Institute},
 title = {The Vegetation of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland},
 year = {2006}
}
,@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}
}
,@article{5336,
 author = {Bourquin, O.},
 journal = {Durban Museum Novitates},
 pages = {57--103},
 title = {Reptiles (Reptilia) in KwaZulu-Natal: 1 - diversity and distribution},
 volume = {29},
 year = {2004}
}
,@article{16939,
 author = {FitzSimons, V.F.M.},
 journal = {Memoirs of the Transvaal Museum},
 pages = {i--xv + 1--528, +24 pls + map},
 title = {The lizards of South Africa},
 volume = {1},
 year = {1943}
}
,@book{44929366,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Le Roux, J.},
 publisher = {Struik},
 title = {The Biodiversity of South Africa 2002: Indicators, Trends and Human Impacts},
 year = {2002}
}
,@article{44929366,
 author = {Branch, W.R.},
 journal = {Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa},
 pages = {13--16},
 title = {The genus <i>Tetradactylus</i> (Sauria: Gerrhosaurinae) in the Cape Province, South Africa: New records and their taxonomic status},
 volume = {37},
 year = {1990}
}
,]

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