Rhampholeon chapmanorum

Rhampholeon chapmanorum
Conservation status
	; Critically Endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Genus:	Rhampholeon
Species:	R. chapmanorum
Binomial name
	Rhampholeon chapmanorum; Tilbury, 1992

Last updated January 31, 2024

Rhampholeon chapmanorum, also known commonly as Chapmans' pygmy chameleon, is a species of terrestrial pygmy chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to forest fragments in the Natundu Hills, Malawi. It was described as a species new to science by Colin R. Tilbury in 1992, from a patch of lowland seasonal rainforest in the Matandwe Forest Reserve.

Etymology

The specific name, chapmanorum (genitive, plural), is in honor of African naturalists James D. "Jim" Chapman and Elisabeth G. "Betty" Chapman, husband and wife.^[2]

Geographic range and taxonomy

The species R. chapmanorum was originally believed to be found across several inselbergs and mountains, until molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that it was endemic to the remaining forest in Malawi, and that other species from Mozambique were endemic to individual mountains.

Reproduction

R. chapmanorum is oviparous.^[3]

Threats and conservation

B. chapmanorum is assessed under IUCN criterion B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) as Critically Endangered, with the caveat "possibly extinct". It is threatened by the conversion of land to agricultural operations and destruction of forests for small-scale logging operations that have limited suitable habitat to two 0.6 km² (0.23 m²) patches of forest, averaging 0.29 km² (0.11 mi²) in size. R. chapmanorum requires intact forest floors to feed, and therefore is not recorded from transformed or disturbed forests, limiting further the amount of suitable habitats available for the species. Some individuals were seen in 1998 during the last survey of the area. This species is very small, growing to a total length (including tail) of 62 mm (2.4 in),^[4] yet only small populations could persist within these patches of forest. Although some areas of forest exist 3 km (1.9 mi) north, these are not included in assessments as they have recently been cleared and disturbed.^[1]R. chapmanorum is listed on the EDGE list of Reptiles as number 49, with an EDGE score of 5.72 and ED score of 18.142.^[4]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve</span>

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References

1 2 Tolley, K.A. (2021). "Rhampholeon chapmanorum". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T172568A197246585. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-1.RLTS.T172568A197246585.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rhampholeon chapmanorum, p. 52).
↑ Species Rhamphoeon chapmanorum at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
1 2 "Chapman's Pygmy Chameleon | Rhampholeon chapmanorum". EDGE of Existence. Retrieved 2018-11-03.