Over the first week of April Nicolau Ecology set out on a biodiversity survey within the Lower Orange River.

Due to the impressive diversity along route we left a few days early allowing for multiple stops prior to the survey, stops were made at Augrabies, Springbok, Port Nolloth and two days between Port Nolloth and Alexender Bay in search of the rare and illusive Diamond Rain Frog - Breviceps branchi (Which unfortunately proved unsuccessful), lastly the survey site east of Alexandra Bay.

During this time we recorded a handful of species in new Quarter Degree Grid Squares along with 3 major range extensions of 150km , 400km and a possible ±800 km.

Below is a collection of photographs of the herpetofauna found over the duration of the trip.

Reptiles Species List

Angulate Tortoise - Chersina angulata ; Leopard Tortoise - Stigmochelys pardalis ; Common Giant Gecko - Chondrodactylus angulifer angulifer ; Bibron’s Gecko - Chondrodactylus bibronii ; Striped Pygmy Gecko - Goggia lineata ; Namaqua Pygmy Gecko - Goggia rupicola ; Orange River Gecko - Pachydactylus atorquatus ; Austen’s Gecko - Pachydactylus austeni ; Haacke’s Gecko - Pachydactylus haackei ; Quartz Gecko - Pachydactylus latirostris ; Namaqua Mountain Gecko - Pachydactylus montanus ; Namaqua Gecko - Pachydactylus namaquensis ; Namib Web-footed Gecko - Pachydactylus rangei ; Common Rough Gecko - Pachydactylus rugosus ; Weber’s Gecko - Pachydactylus weberi ; Namaqua Day Gecko - Phelsuma ocellata ; Common Barking Gecko - Ptenopus garrulus garrulus ; Spotted Barking Gecko - Ptenopus garrulus maculatus ; Wedge-souted Desert Lizard - Meroles cuneirostris ; Knox’s Desert Lizard - Meroles knoxii ; Spotted Desert Lizard - Meroles suborbitalis ; Western Sandveld Lizard - Nucrus tessellata ; Namaqua Sand Lizard - Pedioplanis namaquensis ; Southern Karusa Lizard - Karusasaurus polyzonus ; Lawrence’s Nama Lizard - Namazonurus lawrenci ; Augrabies Flat Lizard - Platysaurus broadleyi ; Coastal Dwarf Legless Skink - Acontias litoralis ; Southern Blind Legless Skink - Typhlosaurus cf caecus ; Pink Blind Legless Skink - Typhlosaurus vermis ; Kalahari Tree Skink - Trachylepis spilogaster ; Western Rock Skink - Trachylepis sulcata sulcata ; Variegated Skink - Trachylepis variegata ; Western Dwarf Chameleon - Bradypodion occidentale ; Anchieta’s Agama - Agama anchietae ; Southern Rock Agama - Agama atra ; Western Thread Snake - Namibiana occidentalis ; Puff Adder - Bitis arietans arietans (DOR) ; Common House Snake - Boaedon capensis ; Dwarf Beaked Snake ; Dipsina multimaculata (DOR) ; Namib Sand Snake - Psammophis namibensis (DOR) ; Karoo Sand Snake - Psammophis notostictus (DOR) ; Coral Shield Cobra - Aspidelaps lubricus lubricus.

Surveying in the lower orange river was tough and the density of reptiles decreased severely once we moved to the far north. However overall the survey was a great success.

*findings of importance from the trip will be out soon.