Assessment Results
Leptopelis xenodactylus
Order:
Anura
Family:
Arthroleptidae
Synonym(s):
Assessed for:
South Africa
on:
30 May 2024
by:
AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop
Authors:
Werner Conradie, Adriann Jordaan, Fortunate Mafeta Phaka, Darren Pietersen, Mohlamatsane Mokhatla, Luke Verburgt, Jeanne Tarrant
IUCN Global Red List:
Endangered (EN)
National Red List:
(not assessed)
Distribution:
Lesotho, South Africa
Evolutionary Distinctiveness score:
15.05479679
Recommended Conservation Actions:
Additional Comments:
| Question # | Short Name | Question Text | Response | Comments |
| 1 | Extinction risk | Current IUCN Red List category. [Data obtained from the IUCN Red List.] | Vulnerable (VU) | Changed from Endangered because of a change in extent of occurrence (EOO). |
| 2 | Possibly extinct | Is there a strong possibility that this species might be extinct in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 3 | Phylogenetic significance | The taxon’s Evolutionary Distinctiveness (ED) score, as generated by the ZSL EDGE program. (These data are not editable by Assessors). | ED value < 20 | |
| 4 | Protected habitat | Is a population of at least 50% of the individuals of the taxon included within a well-managed or reliably protected area or areas? | No / unlikely | Approximately 13% of its distribution occurs within different types of protected area with differing management strategies, not necessarily directed at the species or its habitat. The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is relatively well managed for biodiversity conservation, but this cannot be said for the other protected areas. In 2023, the Giants Cup Wilderness Nature Reserve (109 ha) was declared in the Underberg region through the Biodiversity Stewardship Programme (Provincial Gazette, April 2023). |
| 5 | Habitat for reintroduction, conservation translocation or supplementation | Does enough well-managed and reliably protected habitat exist, either within or outside of currently protected areas that is suitable for conservation translocation, including population restoration or conservation introduction? | Unknown | |
| 6 | Previous reintroductions | Have reintroduction or translocation attempts been made in the past for this species? | No | |
| 7 | In situ conservation activities | Are any in situ conservation actions currently in place for this species? (Only required if a Red List Assessment has not been completed, or if new actions have been implemented since the last Red List Assessment. (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.). | No / unlikely | |
| 8 | In situ conservation activities | Are additional in situ conservation actions required to help conserve this species in the wild (e.g. habitat restoration and/or protection, control of invasive species, national legislation etc.)? | Yes / probably | Appropriate management of known sites – including protected areas - is necessary. Areas in which the species occurs require stakeholder agreements for sensitive management and protection. Additional sites should be identified for habitat protection processes and improved grazing and fire management for wetland and buffer habitat. EIA processes should contribute to oppose inappropriate proposed developments within the range. Dispersal routes between warmer lower-elevation and cooler higher-elevation hummock wetlands may be further impacted through human activities, such as drainage lines within wetlands and damming of wetlands, so work to mitigate these threats will be critical. The following conservation measures are recommended in Kyle et al. 2023: (1) increasing the extent of the protected areas in which L. xenodactylus occurs and setting aside new protected areas for the species to maximize itsresilience to climate change; (2) avoiding change of land use near wetlands where the species occurs; and (3) maintaining the functioning of the wetland ecosystems and maintaining connectivity between wetlands occupied by the species. |
| 9 | In situ research | Is additional in situ research required to better understand the species, e.g. distribution, population trends, natural history etc.? | Yes | Improved knowledge of the micro-refugia requirements of this species will provide a baseline to monitor and evaluate trends in overall population size and, as the environment changes, to gain a more informed understanding of the impact of the changes on the L. xenodactylus population (Kyle et al. 2023). Research into the species’ movements within and use of landscapes surrounding and between breeding sites would also be useful, as well as the impact of bush pigs on species habitat. |
| 10 | Threat mitigation | Are the threats facing the taxon, including any new and emerging threats not considered in the IUCN Red List, potentially reversible? | Threats are likely to be reversible in time frame to prevent further decline / extinction | Threats theoretically can be mitigated with conservation action, especially habitat protection. However, these necessary actions are not currently in place, so further declines are expected. |
| 11 | Over-collection from the wild | Is the taxon suffering from collection within its natural range, either for food, for the pet trade or for any other reason, which threatens the species’ continued persistence in the wild? | No / unlikely | |
| 12 | Population recovery | Is the known population of this species in the wild large enough to recover naturally, without ex situ intervention if threats are mitigated? | Yes / probably | |
| 13 | Action plans | Does an Action Plan for the species already exist, or is one currently being developed? | No | |
| 14 | Biological distinctiveness | Does the taxon exhibit a distinctive reproductive mode, behaviour, aspect of morphology or physiology, within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.)? | No aspect of biology known to be exceptional | |
| 15 | Cultural/socio-economic importance | Does the taxon have a special human cultural value (e.g. as a national or regional symbol, in a historic context, featuring in traditional stories) or economic value (e.g. food, traditional medicine, tourism) within its natural range or in a wider global context? | No | |
| 16 | Scientific importance | Is the species vital to current or planned research other than species-specific ecology/biology/conservation within the Order to which it belongs (e.g. Anura, Passeriformes etc.) e.g. human medicine, climate change, environmental pollutants and conservation science? | No research dependent on this species | |
| 17 | Ex situ research | Does conserving this species (or closely related species) in situ depend upon research that can be most easily carried out ex situ? | No | |
| 18 | Ex situ conservation activities | Is any ex situ research or other ex situ conservation action currently in place for this species? (Information from the Conservation Actions section of the Red List assessment should be reviewed and considered when answering this question.) | No / unlikely | |
| 19 | Husbandry analog required | If an ex situ rescue program is recommended for this species, would an analog species be required to develop husbandry protocols first? | Yes / probably | |
| 20 | Husbandry analog | Do the biological and ecological attributes of this species make it suitable for developing husbandry regimes for more threatened related species? i.e. could this species be used in captivity to help to develop husbandry and breeding protocols which could be used for a similar, but more endangered species at a later stage? | No | |
| 21 | Captive breeding | Has this species been successfully bred and/or maintained in captivity? | Not held in captivity to date | |
| 22 | Conservation education/ecotourism potential | Is the species especially diurnal, active or colourful, or is there an interesting or unusual aspect of its ecology that make it particularly suitable to be an educational ambassador for conservation of the species in the range country, either in zoos or aquariums or within ecotourism activities? | Yes | This species occurs at the site of the longest-running music festival in South Africa. It is also a tree frog that does not live in trees (potentially interesting for education) and has an appealing call. |
| 23 | Mandate | Is there an existing conservation mandate recommending the ex situ conservation of this taxon? | No | |
| 24 | Range State approval | If an ex situ initiative was proposed for this species, would it be supported (and approved) by the range State (either within the range State or out-of-country ex situ)? | Yes / probably | |
| 25 | Founder specimens | Are sufficient animals of the taxon available or potentially available (from wild or captive sources) to initiate an ex situ program, if one was recommended? | Yes / probably | |
| 26 | Taxonomic status | Has a complete taxonomic analysis of the species in the wild been carried out, to fully understand the functional unit you wish to conserve (i.e. have species limits been determined)? | Yes |
Citation:
Werner Conradie, Adriann Jordaan, Fortunate Mafeta Phaka, Darren Pietersen, Mohlamatsane Mokhatla, Luke Verburgt, Jeanne Tarrant
2024. Conservation Needs Assessment for Leptopelis xenodactylus, South Africa
(AArk/ASG Southern Africa Workshop).
https://conservationneeds.org/assessment/7009
Accessed 14 Mar 2025
