Red List of South African Species

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

Rationale (Changed due to Same category and criteria)

Although this large predator has a limited distribution in South Africa (previously classified as Restricted, Branch 1988), it is abundant within parts of its range and has been found in transformed habitat (B. Maritz pers. obs. 2006). It is therefore considered Least Concern. Nevertheless, it is often unnecessarily persecuted and is threatened by habitat transformation throughout its range in South Africa.

Distribution

Widespread. From coastal parts of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the south, with a single record from Limpopo Province at Pafuri Camp in the Kruger National Park (Marais and Jubber 2010, Bates et al. 2014). Extending northwards into western Zimbabwe and Kenya, reaching the western parts of Cameroon and Chad, east through CAR and South Sudan to western Ethiopia (Wuster et al. 2018).

Population trend

Trend

No information currently available, but estimated to be stable.

Threats

Threatened by habitat transformation throughout its range in South Africa.

Uses and trade

There is no known utilization.

Conservation

Although there is habitat transformation throughout its range in South Africa, no conservation actions are recommended at present.

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{110133193,
 address = {Halfway House, South Africa},
 author = {Spawls, S. and Branch, W.R.},
 publisher = {Southern Book Publishers},
 title = {The Dangerous Snakes of Africa},
 year = {1995}
}
,@article{133837181,
 author = {Wallach, V., Wüster, W. and Broadley, D.G.},
 journal = {Zootaxa},
 pages = {26–36},
 title = {In praise of subgenera: taxonomic status of cobras of the genus <i>Naja</i> Laurenti (Serpentes: Elapidae).},
 volume = {2236},
 year = {2009}
}
,@article{133837181,
 author = {Marais, J. and Jubber, W.},
 journal = {African Herp News},
 pages = {24--25},
 title = {Geographical distribution: <i>Naja melanoleuca</i>},
 volume = {52},
 year = {2010}
}
,@article{133837181,
 author = {Wüster, W., Chirio, L., Trape, J.-F., Ineich, I., Jackson, K., Greenbaum, E., Barron, C., Kusamba, C., Nagy, Z.T., Storey, R., Hall, C., Wüster, C.E., Barlow, A. and  Broadley, D.G},
 journal = {Zootaxa},
 number = {1},
 pages = {68--98},
 title = {Integration of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences and morphology reveals unexpected diversity in the forest cobra (<i>Naja melanoleuca</i>) species complex in Central and West Africa (Serpentes: Elapidae)},
 volume = {4455},
 year = {2018}
}
,]
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