Tarzankhameleon
| Tarzankhameleon | ||||||||||||
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Tarzankhameleon (male) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Calumma tarzan | ||||||||||||
| Gehring , Pabijan , Ratsoavina , Köhler , Vences & Glaw , 2010 |
The Tarzankhameleon ( Calumma tarzan ) is a species of the genus Calumma, which is endemic to Madagascar . This species from the Anosibe An'Ala region was described in 2010 and is threatened by habitat destruction. The IUCN ranks them among the hundred most critically endangered species.
Appearance
The Tarzankhameleon is a medium-sized, primarily green-colored chameleon with a head-trunk length of 61 to 72 millimeters and a total length of 119 to 150 millimeters. It belongs to the C. furcifer species group, but differs from other chameleons of this group in some features. An important unique selling point is the shovel-shaped tip of the snout, which is more pronounced in males than in females. Another peculiarity of this species within the close relatives is the brown coloration on the head and neck, which is only found in males, not females. Neither a back nor a stomach crest is pronounced in both sexes. When stressed, Tarzankhameleons show clear yellow stripes, sometimes the animals can turn almost completely yellow.
Distribution and habitat
The holotype of the Tarzankhameleon comes from a forest fragment near Tarzanville. All sites are forest fragments in the Anosibe An'Ala region (Moramanga province) in eastern Madagascar, about 800 to 900 meters above sea level. This species is relatively common there. The sleeping places of the adults are 1 to 4 meters above the forest floor, the sleeping places of the young animals are 1 to 2 meters above the forest floor.
etymology
The specific epithet refers to the type locality "Tarzanville". The related reference to the fictional character Tarzan was done in the hope that this famous name would contribute to the popularity of this species and the associated protection efforts.
Systematics
The closest relatives of this species are a group of as yet undescribed chameleons from Marolambo . There is mainly genetic material from this possible sister species, only a few morphological data are available. Since the genus Calumma is considered polyphyletic , the genus name of the Tarzankhameleon can still change.
source
- Philip-Sebastian Gehring, Maciej Pabijan, Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina, Jörn Köhler, Miguel Vences , Frank Glaw : A Tarzan yell for conservation: a new chameleon, Calumma tarzan sp. n., proposed as a flagship species for the creation of new nature reserves in Madagascar. In: Salamandra . Vol. 46, No. 3, 2010, pp. 151–163, digital version (PDF; 9.94 MB) .
Individual evidence
Web links
Coordinates: 19 ° 20 ′ S , 48 ° 13 ′ E
- Calumma tarzan in The Reptile Database
- Calumma tarzan inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Jenkins, RKB, Andreone, F., Andriamazava, A., Anjeriniaina, M., Brady, L., Glaw, F., Griffiths, RA, Rabibisoa, N., Rakotomalala, D., Randrianantoandro, JC, Randrianiriana, J., Randrianizahana, H., Ratsoavina, F. & Robsomanitrandrasana, E., 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2013.