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 Tolley
Reviewers: Michael Bates Juan-Jacques Forgus Krystal Tolley Luke Verburgt

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Widespread and common throughout much of its range, although it could be impacted locally by habitat loss.  Given its relatively large range, it i is assessed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to southern Africa where it occurs in scattered subpopulations from the Western Cape into the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and southeastern Limpopo provinces of South Africa as well as Lesotho (Bates et al. 2014). The subpopulation in the Western Cape is clearly isolated from other subpopulations. There is also an isolated subpopulation in eastern Zimbabwe (Broadley 1990, Broadley and Blaylock 2013). Historical records from the Irene area in Gauteng Province are dubious (Jacobsen 1989) and have been excluded from its distribution. The species may also range into southern Mozambique, but this needs confirmation.

Population trend

Trend

The population is suspected to be stable.

Threats

The species does not appear to be impacted by any known significant threats.

Uses and trade

The species does not appear to be utilised.

Conservation

No conservation actions are recommended. It is fairly common in Nyanga National Park (Broadley and Blaylock 2013).

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}
}
,@techreport{5336,
 address = {Pretoria, South Africa},
 author = {Jacobsen, N.H.G.},
 institution = {Chief Directorate of Nature and Environmental Conservation},
 title = {The distribution and conservation status of reptiles and amphibians in the Transvaal. Final Report Project TN 6/4/1/30},
 year = {1989}
}
,@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}
}
,@article{110133584,
 author = {Kelly, C.M.R., Barker, N.P., Villet, M.H. and Broadley, D.G.},
 journal = {Cladistics},
 number = {1},
 pages = {38--63},
 title = {Phylogeny, biogeography and classification of the snake superfamily Elapoidea: a rapid radiation in the late Eocene},
 volume = {25},
 year = {2009}
}
,]
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