Red List of South African Species

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Vulnerable (VU)
B1ab(iii,iv)
Assessors: Corinna Bazelet Piotr Naskrecki
Reviewers: Axel Hochkirch Mark Bushell

Rationale

The East Coast Katydid is Vulnerable under criterion B1 because its extent of occurrence is relatively small (~8000 km2), its populations are severely fragmented and its number of locations is estimated to be in decline. This species resides only within Indian Ocean Coastal Belt forests of the KwaZulu-Cape Coastal Forest Mosaic, a habitat type which is considered Critical/Endangered by the WWF and which persists only in small, isolated patches. These forests are directly and indirectly threatened by increased utilization as a resource for building materials, traditional medicines, food, water, and grazing (WWF 2013). This species feeds on a variety of tree species, particularly native acacias, and aggregations of up to several hundred individuals have been seen feeding on these trees in Silaka Nature Reserve near Port St. John’s, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Distribution

The East Coast Katydid (Pomatonota dregii) is currently known only from the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt forests of South Africa (Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces), but it is likely that it also occurs in the coastal habitats of southern Mozambique.

Population trend

Trend

No information on population sizes or trends is available, but this species occurs only in suitable indigenous forest patches of the KwaZulu-Cape Coastal Fores Mosaic, and its populations are therefore severely fragmented. The WWF classifies the KwaZulu-Cape Coastal Forest Mosaic as Critical/Endangered. Although 9% of this habitat type lies within protected areas, 43% of the original habitat has already been transformed, and what remains is found mostly in very small, isolated fragments which are under severe pressure by human utilization (WWF 2013). There are only two extensive remaining reserves of this habitat type, and the Indian coast katydid has not been found in either one of these.  

Threats

The principal threat to this species is habitat destruction by cultivation, development or alien species invasion. Its habitat is under severe pressure of urban development and tourism, cultivation for sugarcane and plantation forestry, and invasion by lantana, bugweed and other non-native weed species.

Uses and trade

This species is not utilized.

Conservation

No specific conservation measures are in place for this species but it is known to occur in at least one protected area, Silaka Nature Reserve. 

References 

[@electronic{15431178,
 address = {www.iucnredlist.org},
 author = {IUCN},
 title = {The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1},
 year = {2014}
}
,@article{20641107,
 author = {Naskrecki, P.},
 journal = {Journal of African Zoology},
 number = {3},
 pages = {279--320},
 title = {The Mecopodinae of southern Africa (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea: Tettigoniidae)},
 volume = {108.0},
 year = {1994}
}
,@electronic{20642458,
 address = {https://worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at0116},
 author = {WWF - World Wildlife Fund},
 publisher = {WWF},
 title = {Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest: Southern Africa: Eastern shore of South Africa},
 year = {2013}
}
,]
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