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Scientific Name | Conophytum mirabile A.R.Mitch. & S.A.Hammer |
Higher Classification | Dicotyledons |
Family | AIZOACEAE |
National Status |
Status and Criteria | Critically Endangered A4d; B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v) |
Assessment Date | 2021/12/01 |
Assessor(s) | A.J. Young, P.G. Desmet, I. Ebrahim, D. Guo, A. Harrower, L. Jabar, L. Knoetze, C. Rodgerson, P.C.V. Van Wyk & N.N. Mhlongo |
Justification | This succulent is endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa with an extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO) of 4 km². The population is in decline due to illegal collection for the ornamental succulent plant trade, with thousands of plants removed from habitat since 2019. Illegal collection is likely to increase as there has been a dramatic increase in the number of species and volume of plants targeted since 2019. The continued threat of illegal collection is therefore regarded as very high for this particular species and given the single location and small population size of no more than 2,500 mature individuals a complete decline of up to 100% of the population is likely within the next ten years. Climate change is also impacting the population although there is uncertainty of the response given the expected resilience of this taxon. It therefore qualifies as Critically Endangered under criteria A4 and B1+2. |
Distribution |
Endemism | South African endemic |
Provincial distribution | Northern Cape |
Range | This species is endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa where it is only found in a single location with a severely restricted geographic range. |
Habitat and Ecology |
Major system | Terrestrial |
Major habitats | Namaqualand Blomveld, Namaqualand Klipkoppe Shrubland |
Description | This species is endemic to the Namaqualand Hardeveld bioregion of the Succulent Karoo biome. The plants occupy semi-sheltered areas amongst large expanses of quartz, often in cracks and crevices. This species has a generation length of 30 years. It is expected to be sensitive to the impacts of climate change as it does not disperse and while adapted to arid conditions, is dependent on limited seasonal rainfall. Species in the genus are sensitive to long periods of drought. Drought related mortality has been observed for other closely related taxa within the genus. |
Threats |
| This species has been highly sought after by collectors with several thousand plants removed illegally from the only known location since 2019. It is highly likely to continue to be targeted in coming years. The single range-restricted location and small population size makes the taxon high susceptible to a rapid decline in the population. As a result a population decline of 90-100% is suspected over three generations (90 years).
While it is not possible to model the response of this species to climate change due to its restricted distribution, the average loss to climate change for 15 more widely distributed Conophytum species occurring within the same region is used as an indication of likely impact to this species. Climate models for the likely emission scenarios where emissions stay at present day levels (RCP 2.6) (Hausfather and Peters 2020) and worst case scenarios where emissions continue to increase during the 21st century (RCP 8.5) indicate that there will be a loss of suitable bioclimatic envelope of between 72% and 99% by 2080 for Conophytum taxa within the region. However, as this species typically occupies a sheltered habitat and possesses certain traits likely to afford resilience to xerophytic conditions it is expected to have a level of resilience to climate change and the expected population loss is reduced by 20% to 52%. Species in this genus have limited dispersal ability and migration to suitable habitats elsewhere is regarded as highly unlikely. |
Population |
It is restricted to a single location where the plants occupy a very small area. A 2021 field survey by the South African National Biodiversity Institute estimated the population to consist of fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. The population is in decline due to illegal collection for the ornamental succulent plant trade. At least 2,000 plants have been removed from habitat between 2019 and the end of 2021 based on confiscation records, with many more having likely been removed but not intercepted by law enforcers.
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Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Conophytum mirabile A.R.Mitch. & S.A.Hammer | VU D2 | 2020.1 | | Conophytum mirabile A.R.Mitch. & S.A.Hammer | Critically Rare | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography |
Hammer, S. 2002. Dumpling and his wife: New view of the genus Conophytum. EAE Creative Colour, Norwich.
Hammer, S.A. 1993. The genus Conophytum: A conograph. Succulent Plant Publications, Pretoria.
Hausfather, Z. and Peters, G.P. 2020. Emissions - the 'business as usual' story is misleading. Nature 577(618-620).
Opel, M.R. 2004. The rediscovery of Crassula alcicornis. Haseltonia 10:38-40.
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Citation |
| Young, A.J., Desmet, P.G., Ebrahim, I., Guo, D., Harrower, A., Jabar, L., Knoetze, L., Rodgerson, C., Van Wyk, P.C.V. & Mhlongo, N.N. 2021. Conophytum mirabile A.R.Mitch. & S.A.Hammer. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2024/12/07 |
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