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Scientific Name | Stapeliopsis pillansii (N.E.Br.) Bruyns |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | APOCYNACEAE |
Synonyms | Pectinaria pillansii N.E.Br. |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Least Concern |
Assessment Date | 2019/11/05 |
Assessor(s) | D. Raimondo |
Justification | Stapeliopsis pillansii is an endemic species to the eastern Karoo Basin with an extent of occurrence (EOO) of 17 489 km². It occurs as isolated, widely scattered plants. It is not suspected to be declining and is therefore listed as Least Concern. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape |
Range | This species is endemic to South Africa, and is found in the Great Karoo, from west of Rietbron sporadically eastwards to near Somerset East, Pearston and Jansenville. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Eastern Lower Karoo, Amathole Montane Grassland, Southern Karoo Riviere, Willowmore Gwarrieveld, Saltaire Karroid Thicket |
Description | It occurs on low stony ridges or flat gravelly areas under small shrubs. |
Threats |
| Stapeliopsis pillansii is not likely to be threatened as its habit of growing under asteraceous shrubs protects it from the impacts of livestock farming which is the main land-use within its range.
It does however occur on karroid flats vulnerable to future shale gas fracking. Large-scale shale gas fracking was proposed in 2015 for the Karoo basin covering the majority of this species' range. Subpopulations on flats would be most vulnerable to habitat loss to infrastructure development related to fracking, and this species would decline in future if fracking goes ahead.
A Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment submitted to South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs in 2016 cautioned against moving ahead with Shale Gas fracking based on the very high infrastructure costs associated with fracking as well as multiple secondary negative impacts both to biodiversity and other economic activities in the region. Furthermore geological studies that have taken place since 2016 have found that gas deposits are not as substantial as originally suspected due to the very old age of the Karoo shale formations and the dolerite intrusions that occur throughout the Karoo having resulted in much of the gas being lost. At present, future development scenarios are too uncertain to estimate the potential extent of the impact on the population but it is unlikely that shale gas fracking will proceed in the near future. |
Population |
This species occurs as scattered individuals beneath long-lived karoo shrubs, the population size is thus difficult to estimate. There are few recent collections however this is a cryptic species easy to miss during surveys.
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Population trend | Stable |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Stapeliopsis pillansii (N.E.Br.) Bruyns | Least Concern | Raimondo et al. (2009) | | Stapeliopsis pillansii (N.E.Br.) Bruyns | Rare | Hilton-Taylor (1996) | |
Bibliography |
Bruyns, P.V. 2005. Stapeliads of southern Africa and Madagascar. (Vol. 2, pp. 331-606). Umdaus Press, Pretoria.
Hilton-Taylor, C. 1996. Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4. South African National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
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Citation |
| Raimondo, D. 2019. Stapeliopsis pillansii (N.E.Br.) Bruyns. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/04/14 |
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