Calumma crypticum

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Calumma crypticum
Blue-legged chameleon (Calumma crypticum) male Ranomafana.jpg
Male
Blue-legged chameleon (Calumma crypticum) female Ranomafana.jpg
Female
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Calumma
Species:
C. crypticum
Binomial name
Calumma crypticum
Calumma crypticum distribution.png

Calumma crypticum, commonly known as the cryptic chameleon or blue-legged chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in eastern Madagascar. [2] [1] [3] [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 2006 as Calumma crypticum by Raxworthy & Nussbaum, one of six new species from mountain regions of Madagascar. [5] It is very similar to, and was previously included in, the short-horned chameleon (Calumma brevicorne), but in 2007, Boumans et al. confirmed that it was sufficiently genetically distinct to be considered a valid species. [1]

Description

Calumma crypticum grows to a length of about 12 cm (5 in) and has large flap-like lobes at the back of the head. The species is sexually dimorphic, the male having a longer snout with a horn-like protrusion on its upper surface, which the female lacks. As with other chameleon species, the colour is variable, depending on the colour of the surroundings, the ambient temperature, and variations in the level of light, but this species is usually quite colourful with rich browns, blues and greens, and the legs are often marked with blue. [6]

Distribution and habitat

Calumma crypticum is endemic to eastern Madagascar where it is a mid-altitude species occurring between 1,050 and 1,850 m (3,445 and 6,070 ft) above sea level. Its range extends from the Tsaratanana Massif and the Ivakoany Massif. It is an arboreal species, living in humid forests; its distribution is patchy because of forest clearance on the central highlands between the mountain blocks, but there is a subpopulation around Ambohitantely in the central west of the island. [1]

Status

This chameleon has a widespread distribution and occurs in a number of protected areas. Suitable habitat is being cleared for agriculture and the population is gradually declining, however the species is sufficiently common that the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of least concern. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Calumma</i> Genus of lizards

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.

Madagascan mantella Species of frog

Mantella madagascariensis, common names Malagasy painted mantella, Madagascan mantella, Madagascar golden frog, Malagasy mantella and painted mantella, is a species of frog in the family Mantellidae.

<i>Brookesia minima</i> Species of reptile

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

Brown leaf chameleon 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 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.

Two-banded chameleon Species of lizard

Furcifer balteatus, also known as the two-banded chameleon or the rainforest chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar. It was described by André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron in 1851.

Belalanda chameleon Species of lizard

Furcifer belalandaensis, also commonly known as the Belalanda Chameleon or the Sangoritan'i Belalanda, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar. It was identified and described by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Domergue in 1970. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rated this species as Critically Endangered on their Red List of Threatened Species. The World Wide Fund for Nature is trying to save this species from extinction.

Petters chameleon Species of lizard

The Petter's chameleon is a species of chameleon, which is endemic to northern Madagascar. Furcifer petteri was initially described as the subspecies Chamaeleo willsii petteri by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and Charles Domergue in 1966, but later transferred to the genus Furcifer and given full species status by Frank Glaw and Miguel Vences in 1994.

<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>Palleon lolontany</i> Species of lizard

Palleon lolontany is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. It was first described by Raxworthy and Nussbaum in 1995 as Brookesia lolontany. It was since placed in the genus Palleon when that genus was erected in 2013. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rated the species as Near Threatened.

<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 fallax</i> Species of lizard

Calumma fallax, the deceptive chameleon or short-nosed deceptive chameleon is a species of chameleon endemic to eastern Madagascar, where its type locality is the Ikongo forest. It was first described by François Mocquard in 1900 as Chamaeleon fallax, and it was first recognized as Calumma fallax in 1986. It is a member of the Chamaeleoninae nominotypical subfamily of chameleons, and is believed to be found over an area of 2,057 km2 (794 sq mi), although the population is unknown.

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

Calumma linotum commonly known as the blue-nosed chameleon, is a chameleon species endemic to northern Madagascar, and common in the forests of Nosy Be.

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

Calumma amber, commonly known as the Amber Mountain chameleon, is a species of chameleons endemic to Antsiranana Province, Madagascar.

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

Calumma brevicorne, the short-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar.

Bizarre-nosed chameleon Species of lizard

The bizarre-nosed chameleon is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. Its scientific name was named after the Malagasy word hafahafa, which means "bizarre" or "strange".

Vencess chameleon Species of lizard

Vences's chameleon is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Jenkins, R.K.B.; Andreone, F.; Andriamazava, A.; Anjeriniaina, M.; Brady, L.; Glaw, F.; Griffiths, R.A.; Rabibisoa, N.; Rakotomalala, D.; Randrianantoandro, J.C.; Randrianiriana, J.; Randrianizahana, H.; Ratsoavina, F.; Robsomanitrandrasana, E. (2011). "Calumma crypticum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T172886A6935865. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T172886A6935865.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 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.
  3. Uetz, Peter; Hallermann, Jakob (2022). "Calumma crypticum RAXWORTHY & NUSSBAUM, 2006". Reptile Database . Hamburg: Zoological Museum Hamburg. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  4. "Calumma crypticum". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  5. Raxworthy, Christopher J.; Nussbaum, Ronald A. (2006). "Six new species of occipital-lobed Calumma a new description and revision of Calumma brevicorne". Copeia. 2006 (4): 711–734. doi:10.1643/0045-8511(2006)6[711:SNSOOC]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   86209876.
  6. Behrens, Ken; Barnes, Keith (2016). Wildlife of Madagascar. Princeton University Press. pp. 196–198. ISBN   978-1-4008-8067-6.