f A HANDBOOK ON THE RARE, THREATENED & ENDEMIC SPECIES OF THE GREATER ST LUCIA WETLAND PARK A product of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park Rare, Threatened & Endemic Species Project Combrink & Kyle June 2006 St Lucia Office: The Dredger Harbour, Private Bag x05, St Lucia 3936 Tel No. +27 35 590 1633, Fax No. +27 35 590 1602, e-mail [email protected] 2 “Suddenly, as rare things will, it vanished” Robert Browning A photograph taken in 2003 of probably the last known Bonatea lamprophylla, a recently (1976) described terrestrial orchid that was known from three small populations, all within the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. Nothing was known on the biology or life history of this species, except that it produced spectacular flowers between September and October. This orchid might have to be reclassified in the future as extinct. Suggested citation for this product: Combrink, A.S. and Kyle, R. 2006. A Handbook on the Rare, Threatened & Endemic Species of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. A product of the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park - Rare, Threatened & Endemic Species Project. Unpublished internal report. 191 pp. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 FOREWORD............................................................................................................................................ 6 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 7 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 9 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................... 10 5 PROJECT TEAM ................................................................................................................................... 11 6 PROCESS............................................................................................................................................... 13 7 AIMS & OBJECTIVES.......................................................................................................................... 14 7.1 Overall objective............................................................................................................................ 14 7.2 Specific research objectives ........................................................................................................... 14 7.3 Specific awareness objectives........................................................................................................ 14 8 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PROJECT .......................................................................................................15 9 MATERIAL AND METHODS.............................................................................................................. 24 9.1 Survey methods.............................................................................................................................. 24 9.1.1 Pitfall trap with drift fences ....................................................................................................... 24 9.1.2 “Willan” PVC rodent traps ........................................................................................................ 24 9.1.3 Fruit chafer beetle traps ............................................................................................................. 24 9.1.4 Sound recordings ....................................................................................................................... 24 9.1.5 Active searching (time constraint searches) .............................................................................. 24 9.2 This document................................................................................................................................ 26 9.3 Capturing local knowledge ............................................................................................................ 30 10 VERTEBRATES .................................................................................................................................... 31 10.1 MAMMALS................................................................................................................................... 31 10.1.1 Flagship species..................................................................................................................... 31 10.1.2 Focal species.......................................................................................................................... 31 10.1.3 Rare, Threatened & Endemic list (ranked in order of conservation importance).................. 31 10.1.3.1 Tongaland Red Squirrel .................................................................................................... 35 10.1.3.2 Short-eared Trident Bat..................................................................................................... 37 10.1.3.3 African Wild Dog.............................................................................................................. 39 10.1.3.4 Rufous Mouse-eared Bat................................................................................................... 41 10.1.3.5 Tsessebe ............................................................................................................................ 43 10.2 BIRDS............................................................................................................................................ 44 10.2.1 Flagship species..................................................................................................................... 44 10.2.2 Focal species.......................................................................................................................... 44 10.2.3 Rare, Threatened & Endemic list (ranked in order of conservation importance).................. 44 10.2.3.1 Natal Nightjar.................................................................................................................... 49 10.2.3.2 Spotted Ground Thrush..................................................................................................... 51 10.2.3.3 Blackrumped Buttonquail ................................................................................................. 53 10.2.3.4 Southern Banded Snake Eagle .......................................................................................... 55 10.2.3.5 Mangrove Kingfisher ........................................................................................................ 57 10.3 REPTILES ..................................................................................................................................... 58 10.3.1 Flagship species..................................................................................................................... 58 10.3.2 Focal species.......................................................................................................................... 58 10.3.3 Rare, Threatened & Endemic list (ranked in order of conservation importance).................. 58 10.3.3.1 Setaro’s Dwarf chameleon ................................................................................................ 61 10.3.3.2 Pygmy Wolf Snake ........................................................................................................... 63 10.3.3.3 Coastal Dwarf Burrowing Skink....................................................................................... 65 4 10.3.3.4 FitzSimon's Dwarf Burrowing Skink................................................................................ 66 10.3.3.5 Southern Forest Worm Snake ........................................................................................... 69 10.3.3.6 Leatherback Turtle ............................................................................................................ 71 10.3.3.7 Gaboon Adder................................................................................................................... 73 10.4 AMPHIBIANS............................................................................................................................... 74 10.4.1 Flagship species..................................................................................................................... 74 10.4.2 Focal species.......................................................................................................................... 74 10.4.3 Rare, Threatened & Endemic list (ranked in order of conservation importance).................. 74 10.4.3.1 Pickersgill’s Reed Frog..................................................................................................... 77 10.4.3.2 Spotted Shovel-nosed Frog ............................................................................................... 79 10.4.3.3 Natal Leaf-Folding Frog ................................................................................................... 81 10.4.3.4 Whistling Rain Frog.......................................................................................................... 83 10.4.3.5 Forest Tree Frog................................................................................................................85 10.5 FRESHWATER & ESTUARINE FISH ........................................................................................ 86 10.5.1 Flagship species....................................................................................................................