Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Johan Marais Andrew Turner
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: Krystal Tolley

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Widespread and common with no substantial threats.

Distribution

Endemic to sub-Saharan Africa and widespread in the southern, eastern and north-central parts of South Africa (Branch 1998). In South Africa, it is found in the Western and Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, northern Gauteng, North-West provinces and the adjacent parts of the Northern Cape and western Free State provinces (Bates et al. 2014). It also occurs in Eswatini (Swaziland). The range extends further north to Kenya and westward to Senegal (Spawls et al. 2002). Largely absent from much of the drier western parts of South Africa, and not found on the grassy plains of the central Highveld or in Lesotho.

Population trend

Trend

The species is widespread and common, so it is inferred to be stable.

Threats

There are no substantial threats to this subspecies.

Uses and trade

There is no known utilization apart from extremely limited use in the pet trade.

Conservation

The taxonomy of this species in southern Africa needs to be investigated as cryptic species may be found within the D. typus complex (Eimermacher 2012).

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{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}
}
,@book{2817,
 address = {Cape Town},
 author = {Marais, J.},
 publisher = {Struik},
 title = {A Complete Guide to the Snakes of Southern Africa},
 year = {2004}
}
,@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{174109,
 author = {Bates, M.F.},
 journal = {Navorsinge van de Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein},
 number = {1},
 pages = {1--47},
 title = {New reptile distribution records for the Free State Province of South Africa},
 volume = {12},
 year = {1996}
}
,@book{110159014,
 address = {San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Boston, London},
 author = {Spawls, S., Howell, K.M., Drewes, R.C. and Ashe, J.},
 publisher = {Academic Press, Elsevier Science},
 title = {A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa},
 year = {2002}
}
,@article{110159014,
 author = {Broadley, D.G. and Cotterill, F.P.D.},
 journal = {African Journal of Herpetology},
 number = {1},
 pages = {35--61},
 title = {The reptiles of southeast Katanga, an overlooked 'hot spot'},
 volume = {53},
 year = {2004}
}
,@phdthesis{190603,
 author = {Eimermacher, T.G.},
 school = {University of Texas},
 title = {Phylogenetic systematics of Dispholidine colubrids (Serpentes: Colubridae)},
 year = {2012}
}
,]
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