Seychelles tiger chameleon

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Seychelles tiger chameleon
Calumma tigris-2.jpg

Seychelles tiger chameleon ( Archaius tigris )

Systematics
without rank: Toxicofera
without rank: Iguana (Iguania)
Family : Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae)
Subfamily : Real chameleons (Chamaeleoninae)
Genre : Archaius
Type : Seychelles tiger chameleon
Scientific name of the  genus
Archaius
JE Gray , 1865
Scientific name of the  species
Archaius tigris
( Kuhl , 1820)
Distribution area of ​​the Seychelles tiger chameleon.

The Seychelles tiger chameleon ( Archaius tigris , Syn . : Calumma tigris ) was first described in 1820 . It is an endangered species of chameleon that is only found on the Seychelles islands of Mahé , Silhouette and Praslin .

Systematics

The Seychelles tiger chameleon is the only species in the genus Archaius , which is considered a sister group of the genus Rieppeleon in South Africa. Until 2010 it was assigned to the genus Calumma , which is endemic to Madagascar . The close relationship with Rieppeleon and the biogeographical distribution are the first zoological evidence for the break-up of Gondwana in the Cretaceous Period .

description

With a length of only 16 cm, this species is relatively small for a chameleon. The body color varies from light gray, i.e. very inconspicuous, or a bright yellow-orange to a green or dark brown color. As a rule, isolated dark spots and a light gray chin and neck are visible on the skin. One of the most distinctive features of the tiger chameleon, however, is the pointed protrusion on its chin, which can be up to 3 millimeters long and which lies under a ridge of smaller, prickly outgrowths.

Habitat and Distribution

The tiger chameleons are endemic to the Seychelles, where they can only be found on the islands of Mahé, Praslin and Silhouette. The habitat consists of tropical primary and secondary forests. There is a high diversity of plants and numerous highland gardens. You can find specimens from sea level up to 550 meters.

Behavior and discipline

After a short warm-up period in the morning, these chameleons go in search of insects such as white-footed ants ( Technomyrmex albipes complex ) and other small animals to feed on. Like all chameleons, they hunt with their elongated sticky tongues, which they shoot at their prey at high speed. The tongue is equipped with a deadly suction cup that enables them to grip the prey.

On Mahé they lay their eggs in imported pineapple plants. These plants are not naturalized on the islands of Praslin and Silhouette, so they only have natural nesting sites. These natural nesting sites are still unknown, although it is believed that they lay eggs on endemic plants such as pandanus and palms. In captivity, a clutch contains between five and twelve eggs.

Threats and Conservation

The species is listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List and CITES (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). The agreement on international trade in endangered animal and plant species prohibits the removal of animals from their habitat.

Since Seychelles tiger chameleons only live on three small islands, they are particularly susceptible to changes in their habitat. On the islands of Mahé and Praslin, they are particularly threatened by the destruction of habitats by introduced alien plants such as cinnamon ( Cinnamomum verum ).

The chameleon and its habitat are protected in the Morne Seychellois National Park on Mahé and in the National Park on Praslin. The population is slowly increasing on Praslin, where habitat restoration programs are advancing. Attempts are being made on Silhouette to reduce the threat of renaturation. The main population lives here, for whom it is advantageous that animal rights activists have already managed to put some forests under nature protection. Further forests are to be placed under protection by including them in a new protected area.

art

Marianne North depicted a Seychelles tiger chameleon on the island of Mahé in 1883/1884 in her painting no. 496.

Web links

Commons : Archaius tigris  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ G. van Heygen, E. van Heygen: First waarnemingen in de vrije natuur van het voortplantingsgedrag bij de tijgerkameleon Calumma tigris (Kuhl 1820). In: TERRA — Antwerpen 40, 2004, pp. 49–51.
  2. ↑ Ted M. Townsend, Krystal A. Tolley, Frank Glaw, Wolfgang Böhme, Miguel Vences : Eastward from Africa: palaeocurrent-mediated chameleon dispersal to the Seychelles islands. In: Biology Letters. Vol. 7, No. 2, 2011, pp. 225-228, doi : 10.1098 / rsbl.2010.0701 .
  3. ^ Krystal A. Tolley, Ted M. Townsend, Miguel Vences: Large-scale phylogeny of chameleons suggests African origins and Eocene diversification. In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. Vol. 280, No. 1759, 2013, 20130184, doi : 10.1098 / rspb.2013.0184 .
  4. ↑ a b c d e f Terra Inspira (September, 2006) . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ a b Calumma species (September, 2006) . Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 8, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chamaeleons.com
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g IUCN Red List (July 2006) . In: IUCN Red List (July 2006) . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ Henrik Bringsøe: An observation of Calumma tigris (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) feeding on White-footed ants, Technomyrmex albipes complex, in the Seychelles. In: The Herpetological Bulletin. No. 102, 2007, pp. 15–17, digitized version (PDF; 193.15 kB) .
  8. ↑ Adam Lasher: Chameleons Disclose Talent For Weightlifting: Hunting Other Lizards: Changing Color In 10 Seconds Is Not Their Only Trick. In: The Cold Blooded News. Vol. 28, No. 6, 2001, online .
  9. ^ CITES (July, 2006) . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  10. ^ A b Seychelles Islands Foundation (December, 2008) . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  11. ^ The Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles (December, 2008) . Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  12. ^ Anthony S. Cheke: Animals depicted by Marianne North in her Seychelles paintings. In: Phelsuma. Vol. 21, 2013, ISSN  1026-5023 , pp. 47-57, (PDF; 405.90 kB), accessed November 14, 2014.