SANBI

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

The EOO for this species in South Africa falls within the range to be considered Vulnerable. This listing is supported by a low number of localities but not by a continuing decline in area or habitat. All occurrence records fall either in the Kruger National Park in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, or the Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal. Although the species is peripheral in South Africa, there is not sufficient justification to consider it as threatened on a regional scale.

Distribution

Widespread in eastern and southern Africa (Boycott and Bourquin 2000) from Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the north through Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique into South Africa (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group 2014). Populations in Seychelles and Madagascar are considered introduced. This species is peripheral in South Africa with a few localities (Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces) on the border with Mozambique. A record for Pelusios subniger in Eswatini (Swaziland) is considered a misidentification (R.C. Boycott, pers. obs.).

Habitat View more ecological information

Population trend

Trend

There is not much information currently available apart from incidental netting in pans in the Kruger Park (Boycott 2001). At a pan near Lower Sabie in the southern part of the park, 21 terrapins of three species were netted, seven of which were Pelusios subniger (Hoffman and van der Bank 2001). It appears to be locally common in the wetlands of Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, where 35 specimens were found in about 10 out of 15 pans surveyed over two nights; they appear to be absent from the nearby Ndumu Game Reserve (J. Harvey pers. comm.).

Threats

Isolated populations in pools along some rivers, such as the Motloutse River in Botswana, could be threatened by dam construction (Jacobsen and Van der Waal 1995).

Uses and trade

It is possible that individual terrapins are collected for research and display purposes but this off-take is probably negligible.

Conservation

None recommended as the species' range in South Africa is situated within protected areas.

References

[@book{10241,
 address = {Hilton, South Africa},
 author = {Boycott, R.C. and Bourquin, O.},
 publisher = {O. Borquin},
 title = {The Southern African Tortoise Book: A Guide to Southern African Tortoises, Terrapins and Turtles},
 year = {2000}
}
,@inbook{10241,
 author = {Rhodin  and Iverson  and Dijk  and Saumure  and Buhlmann  and Pritchard  and Mittermeier },
 booktitle = {Turtles of the World: Annotated Checklist and Atlas of Taxonomy, Synonymy, Distribution, and Conservation Status (8th Ed.)},
 editor = {TTWG (Turtle Taxonomy Working Group: Rhodin, A.G.J., Iverson, J.B., Bour, R. Fritz, U., Georges, A., Shaffer, H.B. and van Dijk, P.P.)},
 pages = {1--292},
 publisher = {Chelonian Research Monographs},
 title = {Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises: A Compilation Project of the IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group},
 year = {2017}
}
,@article{11004,
 author = {TTWG [Turtle Taxonomy Working Group: van Dijk, P.P., Iverson, J.B., Rhodin, A.G.J., Shaffer, H.B. and Bour, R.]},
 journal = {Chelonian Research Monographs},
 number = {7},
 pages = {000.329--479, doi:10.3854/crm.5.000.checklist.v7.2014},
 title = {Turtles of the world, 7th edition: annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution with maps, and conservation status},
 volume = {5},
 year = {2014}
}
,@article{11004,
 author = {Boycott, R.C.},
 journal = {Durban Museum Novitates},
 pages = {25--37},
 title = {The terrapins and tortoises (Chelonia: Pelomedusidae and Testudinidae) of Swaziland},
 volume = {26},
 year = {2001}
}
,@article{16530,
 author = {Fritz, U., Branch, W.R., Hofmeyr, M., Maran, J., Prokop, H., Schleicher, A., Široký, P., Stuckas, H., Vargas-Ramírez, M., Vences, M. and Hundsdörfer, A.K.},
 journal = {Zoologica Scripta},
 pages = {115--125},
 title = {Molecular phylogeny of African hinged and helmeted terrapins (Testudines: Pelomedusidae: <i>Pelusios</i> and <i>Pelomedusa</i>).},
 volume = {40},
 year = {2011}
}
,@article{41601,
 author = {Fritz, U., Branch, W.R., Gehring, P-S., Harvey, J., Kindler, C., Meyer, L., Du Preez, L., Široký, P., Vieites, D.R. and Vences, M.},
 journal = {Organisms, Diversity & Evolution },
 pages = {215--224},
 title = {Weak divergence among African, Malagasy and Seychellois hinged terrapins (<i>Pelusios castanoides, P. subniger</i>) and evidence for human-mediated oversea dispersal},
 volume = {13},
 year = {2013}
}
,@article{41602,
 author = {Jacobsen, N.H.G. and van der Waal, B.C.W.},
 journal = {African Herp News},
 pages = {49},
 title = {<i>Pelusios subniger subniger</i> - geographical distribution},
 volume = {23},
 year = {1995}
}
,@article{41602,
 author = {Hoffman, D. and Van der Bank, H.},
 journal = {African Herp News},
 pages = {24},
 title = {Geographical distribution: <i>Pelusios subniger subniger</i>},
 volume = {32},
 year = {2001}
}
,]

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