Kinyongia

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Kinyongia
Kinyongia matschiei 103003519.jpg
Kinyongia matschiei
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Kinyongia
Tilbury, Tolley & Branch, 2006
Kinyongia sp. distribution.png

Kinyongia (derived from the group's name in Kiswahili language) 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. [1] [2] As typical of most chameleons, Kinyongia are oviparous. [3]

Contents

They were initially placed in the genus Chamaeleo and by some authorities subsequently transferred into Bradypodion , but in 2006 they were moved to their own genus, Kinyongia. [1] [4] [5] [6]

Species

The following 23 species are recognized as being valid. [7]

ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Kinyongia adolfifriderici (Sternfeld, 1912)Ituri chameleonBurundi, northern and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Kinyongia asheorum ( Nečas et al., 2009)Mount Nyiro bearded chameleonKenya
Kinyongia boehmei 48294284.jpg Kinyongia boehmei (Lutzmann & Nečas, 2002)Taita blade-horned chameleon, Böhme's two-horned chameleonKenya
Kinyongia carpenteri (Parker, 1929)Carpenter's chameleonUganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kinyongia excubitor (Barbour, 1911)Mt. Kenya hornless chameleonKenya
Kinyongia fischeri (Reichenow, 1887)Fischer's chameleon, Nguru blade-horned chameleon, Nguru two-horned chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia gyrolepis ( Greenbaum et al., 2012)Lendu chameleonDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Kinyongia itombwensis Hughes et al., 2017Itombwe forest chameleonDemocratic Republic of the Congo
Kinyongia magomberae June07.jpg Kinyongia magomberae Menegon et al., 2009Magombera chameleonTanzania
Kinyongia matschiei 101437557.jpg Kinyongia matschiei (F. Werner, 1895)giant monkey-tailed East Usambara two-horned chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia msuyae 104917266.jpg Kinyongia msuyae Menegon et al., 2015Tanzania.
Kinyongia multituberculata 103864031 (cropped).jpg Kinyongia multituberculata (Nieden, 1913)West Usambara two-horned chameleonTanzania
Kinyongia mulyai Tilbury & Tolley, 2015Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kinyongia oxyrhina 104839712.jpg Kinyongia oxyrhina (Klaver & W. Böhme, 1988)sharp-nosed chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia rugegensis Hughes et al., 2017Rugege highlands forest chameleonBurundi
Kinyongia tavetana 79923733.jpg Kinyongia tavetana (Steindachner, 1891)Kilimanjaro blade-horned chameleon, Kilimanjaro two-horned chameleonsouthern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
Kinyongia tenuis 101437897.jpg Kinyongia tenuis (Matschie, 1892)Usambara soft-horned chameleonKenya and Tanzania
Kinyongia tolleyae Hughes et al., 2017Tolley's forest chameleonUganda.
Kinyongia uluguruensis 185054910.jpg Kinyongia uluguruensis (Loveridge, 1957)Uluguru two-horned chameleonTanzania
Kinyongia uthmoelleri (L. Müller, 1938)Hanang hornless chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia vanheygeni big.jpg Kinyongia vanheygeni Nečas, 2009Van Heygen's chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia vosseleri 101436875.jpg Kinyongia vosseleri (Nieden, 1913)East Usambara two-horned chameleonTanzania.
Kinyongia xenorhina, male.png Kinyongia xenorhina (Boulenger, 1901)strange-nosed chameleonwestern Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Kinyongia.

Related Research Articles

<i>Bradypodion</i> Genus of lizards

Bradypodion is a genus of chameleons in the family Chamaeleonidae, collectively called South African dwarf chameleons. All species are found in South Africa and most are endemic to this country, but a few can also be found in Eswatini, Lesotho, southernmost Namibia and possibly southernmost Mozambique. They are quite small chameleons where the different species often can be difficult to separate by appearance, although exact location and the intense breeding colours of males are useful for their identification. They are arboreal, but some species are mostly found low in the vegetation.

<i>Rhampholeon</i> Genus of lizards

Rhampholeon is a genus of small chameleons, commonly known as pygmy chameleons or African leaf chameleons, found in East Africa and Central Africa. They are found in forests, woodlands, thickets, and savanna, and most species are restricted to highlands. They are brown, grey, or green, and typically seen at low levels in bushes, or on the ground among grasses or leaf litter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fischer's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Fischer's chameleon, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape dwarf chameleon</span> Species of reptile

The Cape dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape, where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town.

<i>Nadzikambia</i> Genus of lizards

Currently, two species are placed in the recently established genus Nadzikambia. They are plesiomorphic, small chameleons from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi and Mount Mabu in Mozambique.

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

The Swartberg dwarf chameleon is a species of chameleon endemic to South Africa.

<i>Trioceros</i> Genus of lizards

Trioceros is a genus of lizards in the family Chamaeleonidae, the chameleons, native to lowlands and highlands in the African mainland, ranging from Ethiopia south to Mozambique and west as far as Ghana. Trioceros was considered a subgenus of the genus Chamaeleo until 2009, when it was elevated to full genus level.

<i>Kinyongia vanheygeni</i> Species of lizard

Kinyongia vanheygeni, the Poroto single-horned chameleon or Van Heygen's chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae.

<i>Kinyongia tavetana</i> Species of lizard

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 Karoo dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to South Africa. It is about 14 cm (6 in) long, mostly colored grey and brown, sometimes olive. The thin skin around the throat is yellow, and it has conical scales along the spine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon</span> Species of reptile

The Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to woodland habitat in the inland Midlands area of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamaeleoninae</span> Subfamily of lizards

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookesiinae</span> Subfamily of lizards

The Family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae, by Klaver and Böhme in 1986. Under this classification, Brookesiinae included the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon, as well as the genera later split off from them. The Brookesiinae are small, often brown in colour, and occur in central Africa and Madagascar. They have terrestrial habits, or may be found in the lower levels of shrubs. 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.

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

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.

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.

<i>Kinyongia boehmei</i> Species of lizard

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.

<i>Kinyongia mulyai</i> Species of lizard

Kinyongia mulyai is a species of chameleons first described in 2015, endemic to the Nzawa forest regions of the south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Trioceros feae, also known commonly as the Bioko montane chameleon and Fea's chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to the island of Bioko.

Trioceros harennae, also known commonly as the Harenna hornless chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Ethiopia. There are two recognized subspecies.

References

  1. 1 2 Tilbury CR, Tolley KA, Branch WR (2006). "A review of the genus Bradypodion (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), with the descriptions of two new genera". Zootaxa1363: 23–38.
  2. Lutzmann, Nicolà (2008). "Some important changes in the systematics of Bradypodion Fitzinger, 1843". Chameleons! Online E-Zine, February 2008. Retrieved 2012-09-24.
  3. Hughes, D.F.; Blackburn, D.G. (2020). "Evolutionary origins of viviparity in Chamaeleonidae". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 58 (1): 284–302. doi: 10.1111/jzs.12328 .
  4. Klaver CJ, Böhme W (1986). "Phylogeny and classification of the Chamaeleonidae (Sauria) with special reference to hemipenis morphology". Bonner Zoologische Monographien22: 1–64.
  5. Tolley, Krystal A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Branch, William R. (2004). "Phylogenetics of the southern African dwarf chameleons, Bradypodion (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution30: 354–365. doi : 10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00211-2 PDF fulltext Archived 2007-02-02 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Tolley, Krystal A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Branch, William R. (2007). "Corrections to species names recently placed in Kinyongia and Nadzikambia (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae)". Zootaxa1426: 68.
  7. Genus Kinyongia at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading