Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Bryan Maritz Marius Burger
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, with no known substantial threats.

Distribution

An eastern African species ranging from the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Tanzania in the north. The distribution extends westwards through southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia to Angola and northern Namibia (Broadley 1990). An historical record from central Namibia, between Omaruru and Okahandja (Sternfeld 1910), has not been verified by new material. The species is apparently absent from southern Mozambique (Broadley 1990, Branch 1998). It occurs in the eastern half of South Africa and throughout Eswatini (Swaziland). Within South Africa it is widely distributed and occurs in North-West Province, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State and the Eastern Cape. Its range extends marginally into the Northern Cape in the Kimberley and Jan Kempdorp (Andalusia) regions of South Africa. Three records extend the known range westwards (Bates et al. 2014). Two isolated records from the Western Cape require confirmation and were regarded as suspicious and omitted from Bates et al. (2014) because they are situated well outside the main distribution. These records are for the regions of Prince Albert and Bredasdorp and are based on voucher specimens in the Port Elizabeth Museum (see also Broadley 1990) and Field Museum of Natural History, respectively.

Population trend

Trend

The population is suspected to be stable.

Threats

There are no known substantial threats to this species.

Uses and trade

There is no known utilization.

Conservation

None recommended.

References 

[@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{3023,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Branch, W.R.},
 publisher = {Struik Publishers},
 title = {Field Guide to the Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. First Edition.},
 year = {1988}
}
,@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}
}
,@article{176276,
 author = {Sternfeld, R.},
 journal = {Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin},
 pages = {67--70},
 title = {Zur Schlangenfauna Deutsch-Südwestafrikas},
 volume = {5(1)},
 year = {1910}
}
,]
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