Fischer's chameleon | |
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Drawing of purported Fischer's chameleons (male above and female in the middle; but see taxonomy) and Rieppeleon brevicaudatus (bottom) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Chamaeleonidae |
Genus: | Kinyongia |
Species: | K. fischeri |
Binomial name | |
Kinyongia fischeri (Reichenow, 1887) | |
Synonyms [2] | |
Fischer's chameleon (Kinyongia fischeri), also known commonly as the Nguru blade-horned chameleon and the Nguru two-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
The specific name, fischeri, is in honor of German herpetologist Johann Gustav Fischer. [3]
K. fischeri is restricted to the Nguru and Nguu Mountains of Tanzania. [2] [4] Chameleons found in other parts of the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania as well as Kenya are now classified as separate species. [4] [5]
The preferred natural habitat of K. fischeri is forest, at altitudes up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). [1]
A number of other species ( K. boehmei , K. matschiei , K. multituberculata , K. tavetana , K. uluguruensis , and K. vosseleri ) have formerly been included as subpopulations of K. fischeri or classified as its subspecies. In 1991, it was recommended that K. tavetana (including K. boehmei) should be recognized as a species distinct from K. fischeri, [6] and in 2008 it was shown that all the remaining also should be recognized as their own, distinct species. [4] [5] This means that the true Fischer's chameleon has a far more restricted distribution than previously believed and it does not overlap with the distributions of any of the other species in this group. [4] [5]
Although formerly considered common in captivity, virtually all "Fischer's chameleons" historically exported out of Tanzania were instead its close relatives (especially K. multituberculata, but also K. matschiei and K. vosseleri, and possibly a couple of other species). As of 2013, only three true K. fischeri were confirmed to have ever been exported in the captive trade. [1]
The strange-horned chameleon, also known as Rwenzori plate-nosed chameleon or single welded-horn chameleon, is a species of chameleon. It is native to the rainforests of the Ruwenzori Mountains of western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jackson's chameleon, also known as Jackson's horned chameleon, three-horned chameleon or Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon native to East Africa, and introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California.
Kinyongia is a genus of chameleons found in montane and sub-montane areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and far eastern DR Congo. They are restricted to forests, woodlands and other wooded habitats, and many species have very small geographic ranges. In most species, at least the males have horns or knobs on their noses. As typical of most chameleons, Kinyongia are oviparous.
Kinyongia vanheygeni, the Poroto single-horned chameleon or Van Heygen's chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae.
The West Usambara two-horned chameleon or West Usambara blade-horned chameleon is a species of chameleon endemic to the West Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Until 2008, it was generally confused with Fischer's chameleon, which is not found in the Usambara Mountains. None of its close relatives occur in the same range as K. multituberculata, but K. matschiei and K. vosseleri are restricted to the East Usambaras.
Kinyongia tavetana, the Kilimanjaro two-horned chameleon or Kilimanjaro blade-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon in the genus Kinyongia. It is native to forests, woodlands, well-wooded gardens and plantations in the highlands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Its type locality is Mount Kilimanjaro, but it is also known from Chyulu Hills and Mount Meru to the Pare Mountains.
The black-headed dwarf chameleon is a lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae endemic to KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is also known as the KwaZulu dwarf chamaeleon and Durban dwarf chameleon.
Kinyongia carpenteri, commonly called Carpenter's chameleon or the helmeted chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to central Africa.
Chamaeleoninae is the nominotypical subfamily of chameleons. The Family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae, by Klaver and Böhme in 1986. Since its erection in 1986, however, the validity of this subfamily designation has been the subject of much debate, although most phylogenetic studies support the notion that the pygmy chameleons of the subfamily Brookesiinae are not a monophyletic group. While some authorities have previously preferred to use the subfamilial classification on the basis of the absence of evidence principal, these authorities later abandoned this subfamilial division, no longer recognizing any subfamilies with the family Chamaeleonidae. In 2015, however, Glaw reworked the subfamilial division by placing only the genera Brookesia and Palleon within the Brookesiinae subfamily, with all other genera being placed in Chamaeleoninae.
The Mlanje Mountain chameleon is one of two species in the genus Nadzikambia. It is a plesiomorphic, small chameleon from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
Trioceros deremensis, the Usambara three-horned chameleon or wavy chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to forests in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania.
Kinyongia tenuis, also known as the Usambara soft-horned chameleon, Usambara flap-nosed chameleon and Matschie's dwarf chameleon, is a fairly small species of chameleon from Kenya and Tanzania.
Kinyongia matschiei, common name giant monkey-tailed east Usambara two-horned chameleon, giant east Usambara blade-horned chameleon, and Matschie's two-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon from the East Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. It was formerly confused with K. fischeri, which is not found in the range of K. matschiei.
Kinyongia asheorum, also known commonly as the Mount Nyiro bearded chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Kenya. Only four specimens are known.
Kinyongia boehmei, the Taita blade-horned chameleon, Böhme's two-horned chameleon and Dwarf fischer's chameleon, is species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae, found only in the Taita Hills of southeastern Kenya. It is the smallest species in the East African "two-horned chameleon" group and until 2008 it was generally considered a part of K. tavetana.
Kinyongia uluguruensis is a species of chameleon, also known as the Uluguru two-horned chameleon or Uluguru two-horned chamaeleon. It is endemic to highland forests in the Uluguru Mountains of Tanzania.
Kinyongia uthmoelleri, known commonly as the Hanang hornless chameleon, Müller's leaf chameleon, and Uthmöller's chameleon, is species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
Kinyongia vosseleri, also known commonly as the Usambara two-horned chameleon and Vosseler's blade-horned chameleon, is an endangered species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
Trioceros ellioti, also known commonly as Elliot's chameleon, Elliot's groove-throated chameleon, and the montane side-striped chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is indigenous to Africa.
Trioceros fuelleborni, also known commonly as the flapjack chameleon, the Ngosi Volcano chameleon, and the Poroto three-horned chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.