Red List of South African Species

Alternatively, Explore species
| National Red List categories | Partners |
Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Aaron Bauer Werner Conradie Johan Marais
Contributors: Josh Weeber
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: John Measey Alex Rebelo Nicolas Telford

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Widespread and fairly common, hence assessed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to South Africa. Found the western parts of the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and the southern parts of the Eastern Cape provinces (Bates et al. 2014), with an extent of occurrence of nearly 250,0002. There are scattered subpopulations in the Eastern Cape near Grahamstown, in the Little Karoo, on the West Coast at Elandsberg, at Brandberg in Little Namaqualand and near Calvinia in the western Karoo.

Population trend

Trend

The population is inferred to be stable because the species is widespread and large parts of its range are not heavily impacted.

Threats

There are no major threats to this species.

Uses and trade

Not known to be utilized or traded in any way.

Conservation

The range coincides with a number of protected areas. The species is found in four subpopulations that are widespread and isolated from each other. Because of the fossorial nature of this species, these gaps could represent incomplete sampling. However, it is also possible the species consists of multiple cryptic taxa. Additional survey information is need, coupled with a phylogenetic analysis.

References 

[@electronic{181632,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2018-2},
 year = {2018}
}
,@article{54573,
 author = {Branch, W.R.},
 journal = {Journal of Herpetological Association of Africa},
 number = {37},
 pages = {17--44},
 title = {The herpetofauna of the Cape Province, South Africa: new distribution records and zoogeography},
 year = {1990}
}
,@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}
}
,@article{9160,
 author = {Branch, W.R. and Bauer, A.M.},
 journal = {Herpetological Natural History},
 number = {1},
 pages = {47--89},
 title = {Herpetofauna of the Little Karoo, Western Cape, South Africa with notes on life history and taxonomy},
 volume = {3},
 year = {1995}
}
,]
Send feedback about this assessment to SANBI

Lead agencies, Partners and Funders

See the partners page