Red List of South African Species

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Least Concern (LC)
Assessors: Bryan Maritz
Facilitators: Graham Alexander Krystal Tolley
Reviewers: Michael Bates Juan-Jacques Forgus Krystal Tolley Luke Verburgt Josh Weeber

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Widespread and common in some areas, but considered 'very rare' in the northern parts of South Africa by Jacobsen (1989). Regardless, there are no known substantial threats to this species and it is therefore considered Least Concern.

Distribution

Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, occurring from Tanzania in the north, southwards to southern Africa (Branch 1998). In South Africa it occurs in Limpopo, Gauteng, northern Mpumulanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, and in Eswatini (Swaziland) (Bates et al. 2014). A record  on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho is considered erroneous and not included as part of the current distribution (Broadley 1990, Bates et al. 2014).

Population trend

Trend

The population is suspected to be stable.

Threats

There are no substantial threats to this subspecies.

Uses and trade

There is no major known utilization or trade.

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{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}
}
,@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{176862,
 author = {Broadley, D.G., Tolley, K.A., Conradie, W., Wishart, S., Trape, J-F., Burger, M., Kusamba, C., Zassi-Boulou, A-G. and Greenbaum, E.},
 journal = {African Journal of Herpetology},
 pages = {DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2018.1423578},
 title = {A phylogeny and genus-level revision of the African file snakes <i>Gonionotophis</i> Boulenger (Squamata: Lamprophiidae)},
 year = {2018}
}
,@article{110133929,
 author = {Alexander, G.J. and Maritz, B.},
 journal = {Journal of Zoology},
 pages = {309--318},
 title = {Sampling interval affects the estimation of movement parameters in four species of African snakes},
 volume = {297},
 year = {2015}
}
,@article{110133929,
 author = {Lanza, B. and Broadley, D.G.},
 journal = {Acta Herpetologica},
 number = {1},
 pages = {89--97},
 title = {A review of the genus <i>Gonionotophis</i> in north-eastern Africa (Squamata: Lamprophiidae)},
 volume = {9},
 year = {2014}
}
,]
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