Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Werner Conradie Gavin Masterson
Contributors: Josh Weeber
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: John Measey Alex Rebelo Nicolas Telford

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

A very widespread (extent of occurrence more than 1,000,000 km2) and common species with no major threats and hence is assessed as Least Concern.

Distribution

Endemic to southern Africa. Most of its distribution is within South Africa, where it occurs in the  provinces of Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, eastern Free State, eastern escarpment in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and in the Namaqualand of the Northern Cape There is an apparently isolated subpopulation in southern Lesotho, (De Waal 1978, Jacobsen 1989, Branch 1998, Broadley 2000, Bates et al. 2014).

Population trend

Trend

The species is widespread and common, and is therefore inferred to be stable and not fragmented.

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 status of the isolated subpopulations should be investigated through a comprehensive phylogenetic study. It is possible the subpopulations are just a result of  sampling gaps, but given that the species is common, it most likely would have been recorded from the intervening areas.

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. Third Edition},
 year = {1998}
}
,@article{5336,
 author = {De Waal, S.W.P.},
 journal = {Memoirs of the National Museum of Bloemfontein},
 pages = {1--160},
 title = {The Squamata (Reptilia) of the Orange Free State, South Africa},
 volume = {11},
 year = {1978}
}
,@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{110230213,
 author = {Broadley, D.G.},
 journal = {African Journal of Herpetology},
 number = {2},
 pages = {87--110},
 title = {A review of the genus <i>Mabuya</i> in southeastern Africa (Sauria: Scincidae)},
 volume = {49},
 year = {2000}
}
,@article{110230213,
 author = {Wiegmann, A.F.A.},
 journal = {Isis von Oken},
 pages = {364--383},
 title = {Beytr&auml;ge zur Amphibienkunde},
 volume = {21},
 year = {1828}
}
,@article{110230213,
 author = {Bauer, A.M.},
 journal = {African Journal of Herpetology},
 pages = {53--60},
 title = {Comments on the types and type localities of South African reptiles collected by Heinrich Bergius and Ludwig Krebs},
 volume = {49(1)},
 year = {2000}
}
,]
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