Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Michael Bates Le Fras Mouton
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: Graham Alexander Adriaan Jordaan Jody Taft Josh Weeber

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

A widespread and common species with no substantial threats. It is therefore considered  Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to Limpopo and the eastern escarpment of Mpumalanga, South Africa, possibly extending into Mozambique (Jacobsen 1989, Branch 1998). The isolated western records for this species shown in Bates et al. (2014) are referable to Smaug breyeri (Stanley and Bates 2014).

Population trend

Trend

The population is inferred to be stable given that its range is large and is not heavily impacted by habitat transformation.

Threats

There are no major threats to this species.

Uses and trade

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II. This species is in the pet trade and was recorded by CITES as being exported as recently as 2015 (UNEP-WCMC 2017).

Conservation

This species is listed in CITES Appendix II; it occurs in some protected areas. No conservation actions are recommended.

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}
}
,@electronic{3009,
 address = {https://trade.cites.org/},
 author = {UNEP-WCMC},
 title = {CITES Trade Database},
 year = {2017}
}
,@article{5333,
 author = {Stanley, E.L., Bauer, A.M., Jackson, T.R., Branch, W.R. and Mouton, P. le F.N. },
 journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution},
 pages = {53--70},
 title = {Between a rock and a hard polytomy: Rapid radiation in the rupicolous girdled lizards (Squamata: Cordylidae)},
 volume = {58},
 year = {2011}
}
,@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}
}
,@article{5336,
 author = {Stanley, E.L. and Bates, M.F.},
 journal = {Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society},
 number = {4},
 pages = {892–909. doi: 10.1111/zoj.12187},
 title = {Here be dragons: a phylogenetic and biogeographical study of the <i>Smaug warreni</i> species complex (Squamata: Cordylidae) in southern Africa},
 volume = {172},
 year = {2014}
}
,]
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