Voeltzkow chameleon
| Voeltzkow chameleon | ||||||||||||
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Male Voeltzkow chameleons ( Furcifer voeltzkowi ) |
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| Furcifer voeltzkowi | ||||||||||||
| ( Böttger , 1893) |
The Voeltzkow chameleon ( Furcifer voeltzkowi , Syn: Chamaeleo voeltzkowi ) is an endemic species of chameleons in northwest Madagascar .
features
The Voeltzkow chameleon shows a pronounced sexual dimorphism .
The male is about 25 centimeters long. In contrast to the female, the male wears a rostrum (extension on the snout) and a higher helmet. It has a green basic color with a white vertical stripe on each side. The black-colored interstitial skin can create a net-like pattern, especially on the head. In stressful situations, dark green vertical stripes appear on the body and tail, also on the helmet and radially on the eyelid.
The female reaches a length of about 15 centimeters. The rostrum is only rudimentary , the helmet shows a low level of expression. The female shows two strong variations in coloration between resting and stressed states. At rest, the body has a light green basic color with dark green vertical stripes. The back area and the helmet also show red-brown areas. On the sides, in the front area of the body, there are two to three light red dots arranged in a row. If there is a stress reaction, the dark green stripes turn black. At the level of the bright red points, a purple stripe develops from the cheek to the base of the tail, which contrasts with the points. Black and white speckles appear on the back.
distribution
The Voeltzkow chameleon was found in coastal dry forests in northwest Madagascar.
Way of life
Little is known about the behavior, life cycle and reproduction of this species because it has hardly been researched. Due to its close relationship to Furcifer labordi , a similar life cycle is assumed. Accordingly, they probably only live a few months in the rainy season from hatching to the end of their lives. During this time they reproduce and the females lay their eggs.
Seven well-developed, creamy white eggs were found in the fallopian tube of one female.
discovery
This species of chameleon was first described in 1893 by the herpetologist Oskar Böttger . The last finds were described in 1913, since then the species has been lost until it was rediscovered in spring 2018 by a German-Malagasy team of biologists. Female specimens of the species were discovered for the first time.
The fact that the species was lost for so long is probably due to its short life and the poor accessibility of its habitat. The distribution region is hardly accessible in the rainy season and roads are not passable. Since the Voeltzkow chameleon is assumed to have a very short life cycle in the rainy season, researchers have not spotted this species for over 100 years. Frank Glaw, one of the discoverers of the chameleon, said in 2020: "These animals are more or less the mayflies of the vertebrates."
Systematics
For a long time the species status of the Voeltzkow chameleon and the species Furcifer monoceras were considered unclear. The holotypes of both species were collected at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century and were often viewed as morphological variations of the phenotypically similar chameleon Furcifer rhinoceratus . In a study published in 2018, the independent species status was confirmed with the help of computed tomography and externally recognizable features. Collection copies over 100 years old were used here. Compared to F. rhinoceratus , the Voeltzkow chameleon has a smaller rostrum, a higher helmet and a tail vertex that continues at the vertex of the back.
Genetic analyzes showed that the closest related species to the Voeltzkow chameleon is the smaller species Furcifer labordi .
etymology
The art epithet honors the zoologist Alfred Voeltzkow , who collected various animal and plant species on expeditions, including on Madagascar.
Danger
As far as is known, F. voeltzkowi is not in acute danger of extinction. However, slash and burn and deforestation endanger the habitat of the species .
Web links
- Furcifer voeltzkowi In: The Reptile Database
- Video of the Voeltzkow chameleon with an interview with Frank Glaw (research leader of the expedition on which the species was rediscovered).
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f g Frank Glaw, David Prötzel, Falk Eckhardt, Njaratiana A. Raharinoro, Rojo N. Ravelojaona, Timon Glaw, Kathrin Glaw, Julia Forster and Miguel Vences: Rediscovery, conservation status and genetic relationships of the Malagasy chameleon Furcifer voeltzkowi . In: Salamandra . tape 56 , no. 4 , 2020, p. 342-354 . (Digitized version)
- ↑ a b c d Peter-Philipp Schmitt: Mayfly of the vertebrates. In: faz.net. FAZ, November 3, 2020, accessed on November 16, 2020 .
- ↑ Eva-Maria Natzer: Short-lived and very colorful: lost chameleon rediscovered after more than 100 years. In: idw. idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft, October 30, 2020, accessed on November 16, 2020 .
- ↑ Marina Sentís, Yiyin Chang, Mark D. Scherz, David Prötzel & Frank Glaw: Rising from the ashes: resurrection of the Malagasy chameleons Furcifer monoceras and F. voeltzkowi (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae), based on micro-CT scans and external morphology . In: Zootaxa . tape 4483 , no. 3 , September 24, 2018, p. 549-566 , doi : 10.11646 / zootaxa.4483.3.7 .