A targeted survey for the Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink Scelotes inornatus (Smith 1849) at Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, with notes on sympatric herpetofauna

Figures & data

Figure 1. Sampling sites in Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, where reptiles and amphibians were sampled from 16 August to 14 September 2021. Inset: Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skink Scelotes inornatus, Photo: PR Jordaan. Top Left: Location of the sampling sites within South Africa. Top right: Location of the sampling sites in relation to Durban.

Table 1. Combinations of environmental variables used to stratify the Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, to guide the survey for Durban Dwarf Burrowing Skinks Scelotes inornatus, the code for each sampling site, and the soil type and texture at each site. Elevation (m a.s.l.): 1 = 0–20, 2 = 21–40, 3 = 41–60, 4 = 61–81; slope (°): 1 = 0–5, 2 = 6–11, 3 = 12–17; aspect (°): 1 = 316–45, 2 = 46–135, 3 = 136–225, 4 = 226–315; *grassy area adjacent to Southern Moist Coastal Lowlands Forest vegetation.

Protected area	Vegetation type	Elevation	Slope	Aspect	Sampling site code	Soil type	Soil texture
Bluff Nature Reserve	Southern Moist Coastal Lowlands Forest	1	1	4	I	Loamy sand	Medium to moderately fine
		2	1	1	H*	Loam	Medium to moderately fine
		2	1	2	E	Loamy sand	Medium to moderately fine
		2	2	2	G	Loam	Medium
		3	2	2	C and F	Sandy loam	Moderately fine
		3	3	2	D	Sandy loam	Medium
		4	2	2	B	Loam	Medium
		4	2	3	A	Loamy sand	Medium to moderately fine
Treasure Beach	KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt Grassland	5	2	3	J	Loam	Medium
	East Coast Dune Forest	4	4	2	L	Sandy loam	Medium
	Southern Moist Coastal Lowlands Forest	5	2	3	K	Sandy loam	Medium

Table 2. Numbers of each herpetofaunal species captured during the survey using pitfall- and funnel-trap arrays and excavated quadrats at the Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, from 16 August to 14 September 2021. A = Amphibian, R = Reptile, F = Funnel trap and P = Pitfall trap in the pitfall- and funnel-trap array, Q = excavated Quadrat.

Species	Site												Total
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L
Arthroleptis wahlbergii (A)	1F	3P1Q	2F2P1Q		2F5P	1F6P1Q	2P4Q		1Q		3P1Q	2P	38
Breviceps sp. (A)										2F2P			4
Hyperolius pusillus (A)	1F			1Q		2Q		1Q					5
Leptopelis natalensis (A)							1Q	1Q	2P3Q			1Q	8
Aparallactus capensis (R)	3Q		2P								1P		6
Gerrhosaurus flavigularis (R)								2F		1F			3
Lycodonomorphus rufulus (R)								1F					1
Panaspis wahlbergii (R)							1Q	3F		6F3P1Q	1P		15
Philothamnus hoplogaster (R)	1F							7F	2F				10
Scelotes inornatus (R)	1P							3Q	1F1Q		1P		7
Total species	5	1	2	1	1	2	3	7	4	3	4	2	10
Total abundance	7	4	7	1	7	10	8	18	10	15	7	3	97
Total species (F)	3		1		1	1		4	2	3			8
Total abundance (F)	3		2		2	1		13	3	9			33
Total species (P)	1	1	2		1	1	1		1	2	4	1	6
Total abundance (P)	1	3	4		5	6	2		2	5	6	2	36
Total species (Q)	1	1	1	1		2	3	3	3	1	1	1	6
Total abundance (Q)	3	1	1	1		3	6	5	5	1	1	1	28

Figure 2. Number of herpetofauna (Herps), reptiles and amphibians captured in pitfall- and funnel-trap arrays at Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, in relation to weather variables from 22 August 2021 to 4 September 2021.

Table 3. Morphological measurements of specimens that were captured during the survey conducted at the Bluff Nature Reserve and Treasure Beach in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa, from 16 August to 14 September 2021. SVL = snout-vent length, TL = total length, SD = standard deviation, A = Amphibian, R = Reptile.

Species	SVL (mm)			Tail (mm)			TL (mm)			Weight (g)			N
	Mean	SD	Range	Mean	SD	Range	Mean	SD	Range	Mean	SD	Range
Arthroleptis wahlbergii (A)	23.7	3.49	16.9–28.9							1.3	0.61	0.3–2.4	35
Breviceps sp. (A)	34.3	5.55	25.2–40.4							6.0	3.09	2.4–10.5	5
Hyperolius pusillus (A)	15.7	2.53	13.6–19.2							0.3	0.17	0.1–0.5	4
Leptopelis natalensis (A)	33.7	18.95	18.9–68							6.9	9.92	0.5–27.2	9
Aparallactus capensis (R)	162.3	39.38	111–204	39.2	9.45	24.5–47.4	201.5	47.95	141.2–247.7	2.8	1.56	1–4.4	6
Gerrhosaurus flavigularis (R)	90.0	35.00	49.6–111.8	131.0	25.25	103–152	221.0	59.47	152.6–260.5	21.1	16.06	2.6–31.8	3
Lycodonomorphus rufulus (R)	317.0			115.0			432.0			13.6			1
Panaspis wahlbergii (R)	39.0	2.06	34.3–42	40.2	13.72	37–61	79.2	13.83	59.4–101.6	1.0	0.20	0.7–1.3	14
Philothamnus hoplogaster (R)	384.7	29.77	356–444	182.4	19.79	155–204	567.1	46.50	511–648	16.7	2.56	13.4–20.9	9
Scelotes inornatus (R)	68.1	17.58	48.6–87.3	50.5	12.98	28.2–59	118.6	28.88	76.8–144.1	1.6	1.14	0.5–2.9	5