ESWATINI

AHBI Herp Score = 36.48

eSwatini, is a small landlocked country, with South Africa and Mozambique as its neighbouring countries. The region has a diverse range of habitat, predominantly within the savannas, grasslands, and woodlands regions. Its geography is characterised by Lebombo Mountains in the east and montane grasslands in the west, providing a variety of ecosystems.

eSwatini’s biodiversity includes many unique plant and animal species, some endemic to the region. The country has high diversity of reptiles and amphibians relative to its size, however, only a single species is endemic to the country. See the AHBI Checklist below for a checklist of eSwatini’s herpetofauna.

eSwatini Herp Checklist

  • Reptiles: Total list = 110

    SQUAMATA (107)

    Gekkonidae (9)

    Afroedura major

    Afroedura marleyi

    Chondrodactylus turneri

    Hemidactylus mabouia

    Homopholis wahlbergii

    Lygodactylus capensis

    Lygodactylus ocellatus

    Pachydactylus maculatus

    Pachydactylus vansoni

    Scincidae (10)

    Acontias plumbeus

    Mochlus sundevallii

    Panaspis wahlbergii

    Scelotes mirus

    Scelotes mossambicus

    Trachylepis capensis

    Trachylepis margaritifera

    Trachylepis punctatissima

    Trachylepis striata

    Trachylepis varia

    Agamidae (2)

    Acanthocercus atricollis

    Agama aculeata

    Amphisbaenidae (1)

    Zygaspis arenicola

    Chamaeleonidae (2)

    Bradypodion transvaalense

    Chamaeleo dilepis

    Cordylidae (10)

    Chamaesaura aenea

    Chamaesaura anguina

    Chamaesaura macrolepis

    Cordylus jonesii

    Cordylus vittifer

    Platysaurus intermedius

    Platysaurus lebomboensis

    Pseudocordylus melanotus

    Smaug swazicus

    Smaug warreni

    Gerrhosauridae (4)

    Broadleysaurus major

    Gerrhosaurus flavigularis

    Matobosaurus validus

    Tetradactylus africanus

    Lacertidae (4)

    Meroles squamulosus

    Nucras holubi

    Nucras lalandii

    Nucras ornata

    Varanidae (2)

    Varanus albigularis

    Varanus niloticus

    Atractaspididae (7)

    Amblyodipsas concolor

    Amblyodipsas polylepis

    Aparallactus capensis

    Aparallactus lunulatus

    Atractaspis bibronii

    Homoroselaps dorsalis

    Homoroselaps lacteus

    Colubridae (13)

    Crotaphopeltis hotamboeia

    Dasypeltis inornata

    Dasypeltis medici

    Dasypeltis scabra

    Dipsadoboa aulica

    Dispholidus typus

    Meizodon semiornatus

    Philothamnus hoplogaster

    Philothamnus natalensis

    Philothamnus occidentalis

    Philothamnus semivariegatus

    Telescopus semiannulatus

    Thelotornis capensis

    Elapidae (7)

    Aspidelaps scutatus

    Dendroaspis polylepis

    Elapsoidea boulengeri

    Elapsoidea sundevallii

    Hemachatus haemachatus

    Naja annulifera

    Naja mossambica

    Lamprophiidae (13)

    Alopecion guttatum

    Boaedon capensis

    Gracililima nyassae

    Inyoka swazicus

    Lamprophis aurora

    Lamprophis fuscus

    Limaformosa capensis

    Lycodonomorphus inornatus

    Lycodonomorphus laevissimus

    Lycodonomorphus obscuriventris

    Lycodonomorphus rufulus

    Lycophidion capense

    Lycophidion variegatum

    Leptotyphlopidae (5) 

    Leptotyphlops conjunctus

    Leptotyphlops incognitus

    Leptotyphlops scutifrons

    Leptotyphlops telloi

    Myriopholis longicauda

    Prosymnidae (2)

    Prosymna lineata

    Prosymna stuhlmanni

    Psammophiidae (6)

    Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia

    Psammophis brevirostris

    Psammophis crucifer

    Psammophis mossambicus

    Psammophis subtaeniatus

    Psammophylax rhombeatus

    Pseudaspididae (1)

    Pseudaspis cana

    Pseudoxyrhophiidae (1)

    Duberria lutrix

    Pythonidae (1)

    Python natalensis

    Typhlopidae (3)

    Afrotyphlops bibronii

    Afrotyphlops schlegelii

    Rhinotyphlops lalandei

    Viperidae (4)

    Bitis arietans

    Bitis atropos

    Causus defilippii

    Causus rhombeatus

    TESTUDINES (5)

    Pelomedusidae (2)

    Pelomedusa galeata

    Pelusios sinuatus

    Testudinidae (3)

    Kinixys natalensis

    Kinixys spekii

    Stigmochelys pardalis

    CROCODYLIA (1)

    Crocodylidae (1)

    Crocodylus niloticus

  • ESWATINI

    Amphibians: Total list = 45

    ANURA (45)

    Arthroleptidae (1)

    Leptopelis mossambicus

    Brevicipitidae (5)

    Breviceps adspersus 

    Breviceps mossambicus 

    Breviceps passmorei

    Breviceps sopranus

    Breviceps verrucosus

    Bufonidae (7)

    Poyntonophrynus fenoulheti

    Schismaderma carens

    Sclerophrys capensis

    Sclerophrys garmani

    Sclerophrys gutturalis

    Sclerophrys pusilla

    Vandijkophrynus nubicola

    Heleophrynidae (1)

    Hadromophryne natalensis

    Hemisotidae (1)

    Hemisus marmoratus

    Hyperoliidae (8)

    Afrixalus aureus

    Hyperolius marmoratus

    Hyperolius pusillus

    Hyperolius semidiscus

    Hyperolius tuberilinguis

    Hylambates maculatus

    Kassina senegalensis

    Semnodactylus wealii

    Microhylidae (1)

    Phrynomantis bifasciatus

    Phrynobatrachidae (2)

    Phrynobatrachus mababiensis

    Phrynobatrachus natalensis

    Pipidae (2)

    Xenopus laevis

    Xenopus muelleri

    Ptychadenidae (5)

    Hildebrandtia ornata

    Ptychadena anchietae

    Ptychadena mossambica

    Ptychadena oxyrhynchus

    Ptychadena porosissima

    Pyxicephalidae (11)

    Amietia delalandii

    Amietia poyntoni

    Cacosternum boettgeri

    Cacosternum nanum

    Cacosternum parvum

    Strongylopus grayii

    Strongylopus fasciatus

    Tomopterna adiastola

    Tomopterna krugerensis

    Tomopterna natalensis

    Pyxicephalus edulis 

    Rhacophoridae (1)

    Chiromantis xerampelina

  • Reptiles: Total list = 1

    SQUAMATA (1)

    Gekkonidae (1)

    Afroedura major

    Amphibians: Total list = 0

    NA

  • Reptiles

    SQUAMATA

    Gekkonidae

    Afroedura haackei

    Afroedura pongola

    Homopholis arnoldi

    Scincidae

    Acontias wakkerstroomensis

    Trachylepis damarana

    Trachylepis depressa

    Trachylepis homalocephala

    Scelotes arenicolus

    Amphisbaenidae

    Zygaspis vandami

    Gerrhosauridae

    Gerrhosaurus intermedius

    Cordylidae

    Smaug barbertonensis

    Lacertidae

    Nucras intertexta

    Atractaspididae

    Amblyodipsas microphthalma

    Xenocalamus bicolor lineatus

    Xenocalamus transvaalensis

    Colubridae

    Dasypeltis medici

    Leptotyphlopidae

    Leptotyphlops distanti

    Lamprophiidae

    Lamprophis aurora

    Lycophidion pygmaeum

    Prosymnidae

    Prosymna bivittata

    Psammophiidae

    Psammophylax tritaeniatus

    Typhlopidae

    Afrotyphlops fornasinii

    TESTUDINES

    Pelomedusidae

    Pelomedusa subrufa

    Amphibians

    ANURA

    Hemisotidae

    Hemisus guttatus

    Hyperoliidae

    Afrixalus delicatus

    Afrixalus fornasini

    Hyperolius argus

    Hyperolius poweri

    Phrynobatrachidae

    Phrynobatrachus acridoides

    Ptychadenidae

    Ptychadena taenioscelis

    Pyxicephalidae

    Tomopterna marmorata

    Tomopterna tandyi

  • Extinct

    Locally (excluded from checklist)

    Reptiles

    NA

    Amphibians

    ANURA

    Pyxicephalidae

    Pyxicephalus adspersus

    Globally (Included in checklist)

    Reptiles

    NA

    Amphibians

    NA

    Questionable

    Reptiles

    Pyxicephalus angusticeps

    Amphibians

    Pyxicephalus angusticeps

    Introduced (excluded from checklist)

    Reptiles

    NA

    Amphibians

    NA


Habitat

Northern Lebombo mountains, Lubombo (Gary K. Nicolau)

Northern Lebombo mountains, Lubombo (Gary K. Nicolau)

Northern Lebombo mountains, Lubombo (Gary K. Nicolau)


Reptile Diversity

There are 21 families of Squamates, 1 Crocodylia and 2 families of Testudines in eSwatini

Lizards

Snakes

Amphibian Diversity

There are 12 families of Anura in eSwatini

Bibliography for eSwatini

Tolley, K.A., Conradie, W., Pietersen, D.W., Weeber, J., Burger, M. & Alexander, G.J. (eds) 2023. Conservation status of the reptiles of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Suricata 10. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.