Brookesia minima

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Brookesia minima
Minute leaf chameleon (Brookesia minima) Lokobe.jpg
Lokobe Strict Reserve
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Brookesia
Species:
B. minima
Binomial name
Brookesia minima
Boettger, 1893
Brookesia minima distribution.png

Brookesia minima, (common names of which include the dwarf chameleon, the Madagascan dwarf chameleon, [2] the minute leaf chameleon, [3] and the Nosy Be pygmy leaf chameleon), is a diminutive chameleon that was regarded as the smallest lizard [4] of the Chamaeleonidae until a smaller species, Brookesia nana , was described in 2021.

Contents

Range

B. minima is endemic to Nosy Be, [5] an island located just off the northwest coast of Madagascar, but has extralimital distribution to Manongarivo Reserve on Madagascar's northwest coast. [6]

Description

20150510-IMG 0786.jpg

B. minima is the third-smallest lizard ever described. The species has the independently rotating eyes and prehensile tail characteristic of all chameleons. It is coloured light grey on the head, back and tail, although the tail becomes orange then yellowish towards the tip. The sides of the body are brown, occasionally interrupted by dark brown spots, and the limbs are almost entirely dark brown. Spotted patterning appears to be a stress colouration, and unstressed individuals have a more or less uniform dark brown body, apart from a beige area in front of the eyes (1). The B. minima adult has a flattened head and an orbital crest with large scales forming triangular plates above its eyes. Along its back are two rows of granular protrusions. B. minima specimens sometimes have lateral yellow stripes over their basic drab grayish-brown color. The maximum total length is 3.4 cm (1.3 in) for females and 2.8 cm (1.1 in) for males. Males are also slenderer than females, and exhibit a hemipenial bulge at the base of their tails. [7]

Habitat

B. minima is native to the rain forests of its native island. It has a relatively active habit for a chameleon and likes moving around in the low branches and leaf litter of its native rain forests. Though they are moderately aggressive toward one another, population and densities in the wild may approach one animal per square meter.

Reproduction

It is not known how frequently B. minima reproduces, but a typical clutch contains two eggs. [6]

Similar species

B. minima has been characterized as belonging to a species group with other Madagascan dwarf chameleons such as B. dentata , B. tuberculata , B. peyrierasi and other new or unidentified species such as a recently described chameleon from Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve. [6] [8]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

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Calumma is a genus of chameleons endemic and restricted to Madagascar. The species formerly named Calumma tigris was transferred to the genus Archaius by Townsend et al., when they found that it is more closely related to Rieppeleon than to Calumma. The oldest fossil of the genus is known from the Early Miocene of Kenya, showing that the genus originated in Africa.

<i>Brookesia</i> Genus of lizards

Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, endemic to Madagascar, that range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons. Brookesia includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus Brookesia are largely brown and most are essentially terrestrial.

<i>Uroplatus ebenaui</i> Species of lizard

Uroplatus ebenaui, commonly known as Ebenau's leaf-tailed gecko, the Nosy Be flat-tail gecko, and the spearpoint leaf-tail gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Madagascar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antsingy leaf chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The Antsingy leaf chameleon is a species of lizards in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is also referred to as Armoured leaf chameleon.

<i>Brookesia peyrierasi</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia peyrierasi is a species of diminutive chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to north-eastern Madagascar. It is known commonly as Peyrieras's pygmy chameleon, named after the herpetologist André Peyriéras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount d'Ambre leaf chameleon</span> Species of reptile

The Mount d'Ambre leaf chameleon is a diminutive chameleon from far northern Madagascar.

<i>Brookesia ebenaui</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia ebenaui is a chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species, which is endemic to Madagascar, can rapidly change color among various earth hues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown leaf chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The brown leaf chameleon or stump-tailed chameleon is a small chameleon found along the eastern coast of Madagascar, as well as the island of Nosy Boraha. Its appearance mimics that of a dead leaf. The taxonomy is in need of revision.

<i>Brookesia micra</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia micra, also known as the Nosy Hara leaf chameleon is a species of chameleons from the islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. At the time of its discovery, it was the smallest known chameleon and among the smallest reptiles, until the 2021 discovery of the even smaller B. nana. Adult B. micra can grow up to 29 mm (1.1 in) in length.

<i>Brookesia stumpffi</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia stumpffi, also known as the plated leaf chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in some parts of Madagascar. It can be found in Nosy Bé, north-west Madagascar, Nosy Komba, and Nosy Sakatia.

<i>Brookesia betschi</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia betschi, commonly known as Blanc's leaf chameleon or the Marojejy leaf chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Brookesia bonsi</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia bonsi is a species of chameleons, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar, and was initially described by Guy A. Ramanantsoa in 1980. The International Union for Conservation of Nature ranked this species as Critically Endangered.

<i>Brookesia brygooi</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia brygooi, commonly known as Brygoo's chameleon, Brygoo's pygmy chameleon, and the leaf chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chameleonidae. The species, which is endemic to Madagascar, was first described in 1995 by Raxworthy and Nussbaum and named in compliment to French herpetologist Édouard-Raoul Brygoo.

<i>Brookesia confidens</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia confidens, also known as the leaf chameleon, is one of the world's smallest species of chameleons. It is endemic to the Ankarana Nature Reserve in Madagascar. It was first described in 2012 by F. Glaw, J. Koehler, T.M. Townsend and M. Vences.

<i>Brookesia therezieni</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia therezieni, also known as the Perinet leaf chameleon, is a species of lizards in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to eastern Madagascar. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classed the species as Least Concern. B. therezieni was initially described as a species new to science by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Antoine Domergue in 1970.

<i>Brookesia thieli</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia thieli, commonly also known as Domergue's leaf chameleon or Thiel's pygmy chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to eastern Madagascar, with a type locality of Ambodimanga, Andapa. It was first described in 1969 by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Antoine Domergue, and it was ranked by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "least concern". B. thieli is thought to be found over an area of 43,865 km2 (16,936 sq mi) at 875–1,200 m (2,871–3,937 ft) above sea level.

<i>Brookesia valerieae</i> Species of lizard

Brookesia valerieae is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. It was first described by Raxworthy in 1991. The IUCN have classed this species as endangered, and it is affected by slash-and-burn agriculture. It is not a protected species.

<i>Calumma nasutum</i> Species of lizard

Calumma nasutum, the Madagascar Pimple-Nose Chameleon, is a small species of chameleon found in Madagascar. The taxonomic identity of the species is currently uncertain and in need of revision, and this revision is likely to result in several newly described species. Several different data sets indicate that C. nasutum is a complex of several species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iaraka River leaf chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The Iaraka River leaf chameleon, also commonly known as the mossy pygmy leaf chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Brookesia nana</i> Extremely small chameleon

Brookesia nana, also known as the nano-chameleon, is a species of chameleon endemic to montane rainforests in northern Madagascar. Described in 2021, it could represent the world's smallest reptile. Unlike some chameleons, Brookesia nana does not change colors.

References

  1. Glaw, F.; Jenkins, R.K.B. (2014). "Brookesia minima". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T67009871A47583723. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T67009871A47583723.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Glaw, Frank; Vences, Miguel; Ziegler, Thomas; Böhme, Wolfgang; Köhler, Jörn (1999). "Specific distinctness and biogeography of the dwarf chameleons Brookesia minima, B. peyrierasi and B. tuberculata (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae): evidence from hemipenial and external morphology". Journal of Zoology. 247 (2): 225–238. doi:10.1017/s0952836999002101.
  3. "Minute leaf chameleon". Arkive:Images of Life on Earth. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
  4. "Brookesia minima". Reptile Database.
  5. Glaw, Frank; Vences, Miguel (2007). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar (3rd ed.). Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlags. ISBN   978-3929449037.
  6. 1 2 3 Glaw, F; Köhler, J; Townsend, TM; Vences, M (2012). "Rivaling the World's Smallest Reptiles: Discovery of Miniaturized and Microendemic New Species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from Northern Madagascar". PLOS ONE. 7 (2): e31314. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031314 . PMC   3279364 . PMID   22348069.
  7. Glaw, Frank; Vences, Miguel (1994). A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar (2nd ed.). Köln: M. Vences & F. Glaw Verlags GbR. ISBN   978-3-929449-01-3.
  8. Scherz, M. D., Köhler, J., Rakotoarison, A., Glaw, F., & Vences, M. (2019). A new dwarf chameleon, genus brookesia, from the marojejy massif in northern madagascar. Zoosystematics and Evolution, 95(1), 95-106. doi:10.3897/zse.95.32818