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
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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
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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
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Reptiles: Total list = 1
SQUAMATA (1)
Gekkonidae (1)
Afroedura major
Amphibians: Total list = 0
NA
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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
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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.