It was described as a new species in 1837 by English naturalist William Charles Linnaeus Martin.

The eponym for the species name "landeri" was explorer Richard Lander.

It was Martin's intention to posthumously honor Lander, calling him "enterprising, but unfortunate" after his untimely death at age 29.

Individuals have been found at relatively high elevations—up to 2,000 m (6,600 ft) above sea level on Kenya's Mount Elgon.

It meets the criteria for this assessment because it has a wide geographic range; its population size is likely large; and it is unlikely that it is in rapid decline.