Taxonomic notes: Accepted as Kinyongia matschiei in Mariaux et al. (2008). Populations occur in the East Usambara Mountains, and these were formerly confused with K. fischeri.
In Shirk et al. (in prep), K. matschiei and K. vosseleri densities had a weak negative correlation with patch area and patch isolation and a weak positive correlation with the distance to the edge of the patch. The positive correlation with distance to edge of patch was unexpected and is likely an artifact of our definition of edge (forest/non-forest boundary, NOT edges of paths, small roads, streams, or tree falls) and slight differences between species and possibly ages. Both species were often observed along trail or small dirt road edges, even if those smaller edges were far from the edge of a forest patch. On research surveys, individuals of K. vosseleri were observed both closer to and further from the edge of patches than K. matschiei. K. vosseleri also tended to be seen nearer to edges than K. matschiei. Apparent densities were higher in Sept-Oct (dry season) than during March-May (rainy season) (likely due to seasonal reproduction). Never observed in highly modified habitat such as tea plantations or intensively cultivated fields (such as sugar cane or vegetables).
Anecdotal: My impression was that this species was very patchily distributed and occurs in the forest, along edges, and in somewhat modified habitat (where trees are still present), sometimes very near Trioceros deremensis, other times very near K. vosseleri.
Along 32.2 km of transects in and around Amani Nature Reserve surveyed between Sept. 2010 and May 2011, we observed 29 individuals. In Shirk et al. (in prep) we estimated densities of K. matschiei and K. vosseleri together because of small sample sizes for each individual species and under the assumption that they utilize very similar habitats. Dividing the estimated densities in half to get estimates for just K. matschiei (51% of the combined observations were of K. matschiei), densities ranged from 0 (95% credible interval = 0 to 0.1) to 6.6 (1 to 52) individuals per ha in various fragments near Amani Nature Reserve and 0.1 /ha (0.0 to 0.2) in Amani Nature Reserve. Total population size in forests [note that this species also occurs in non-forest habitat] within the East Usambara plateau at elevations above 850 m is approximately 922 (10 to 1.4 million), a 71% decline from historical levels (-96% to 383,000%). Approximately 71% of the remaining population in the study area is found in protected forests (Amani and Nile Nature Reserves).
The trade background and status of K. matschiei is complicated by its taxonomic history. K. matschiei was only recognized as a full species by CITES in 2010 at CITES CoP15 (CITES 2013b). Prior to this, is was considered a subspecies of K. fischeri, along with K. multituberculata, K. uluguruensis, K. vosseleri and true K. fischeri. Strictly speaking, K. matschiei has never been issued an annual CITES export quota (CITES 2013a). Through the first half of 2013, however, K. matschiei actually represents approximately 4% or less of all trade reported as K. fischeri (Anderson, personal observation).
Annual CITES export quotas for K. fischeri between 2000 and 2013 have been fixed to 3,000 wild collected individuals and 10-400 (125-400 between 2000 and 2012) captive born individuals per year from Tanzania (CITES 2013a). CITES Trade Data indicates that between 1977 and 2011 (2012 and 2013 trade data is incomplete or unavailable) a total of 78,801 live individuals were exported from Tanzania for the pet trade (total of all undeclared, captive breeding, personal and commercial exports), of which 1,158 were reported as either captive bred or captive born (UNEP-WCMC 2013). All these individuals were exported from 1985 to 2011, with the captive bred or born individuals having been exported from 1999 to 2011, with the exception of a single export of captive bred individuals in 1995 (UNEP-WCMC 2013). An additional 336 individuals were reportedly exported from Kenya from 1980 to 2011 (6 individuals in 1980, 56 individuals in 2001, and 330 farmed or confiscated individuals in 2011) (UNEP-WCMC 2013). With the exception of those exports from Kenya, approximately 4% or less of all this documented trade likely relates to K. matschiei (Anderson, personal observation).
Nilo (in northern East Usambaras) is also a Nature Reserve now. Hall et al. (2009) lists forest loss in the East Usambaras at 68%. I calculated total forest cover at elevations above 850 m [note that K. matschiei occurs at both lower elevations AND in modified habitats] in the East Usambaras using Google Earth imagery from 2002-2003 at 122.2 square km (of 225.3 square km of land) (Shirk et al., in prep).
Hall, J., Burgess, N. D., Lovett, J., Mbilinyi, B., & Gereau, R. E. (2009). Conservation implications of deforestation across an elevational gradient in the Eastern Arc Mountains, Tanzania. Biological Conservation, 142(11), 2510–2521.
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