Rhampholeon moyeri

Rhampholeon moyeri
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Genus:	Rhampholeon
Species:	R. moyeri
Binomial name
Rhampholeon moyeri Menegon, Salvidio & Tilbury, 2002

Rhampholeon moyeri, ^[2] also known commonly as Moyer's pygmy chameleon and the Udzungwa pygmy chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.

Taxonomy

Rhampholeon moyeri is currently thought to be paraphyletic because some populations of chameleons, including some at the Uzungwa Scarp Nature Reserve, consist of separate clades that could represent different species (Matthee et al., 2004; Fisseha et al., 2013). ^[3]

Geographic distribution

Rhampholeon moyeri is found in the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania. ^[2]

Type locality: Kihanga Valley, Uzungwa Scarp Forest Reserve (Luhega), Udzungwa Mountains, SE Tanzania. ^[2]

Habitat

The natural habitat of Rhampholeon moyeri is forest, which has not been degraded or transformed, at elevations of 1,000–2,000 m (3,300–6,600 ft). ^[1]

Behavior

Rhampholeon moyeri is terrestrial and diurnal. By day it actively forages in the leaf litter of the forest. It climbs vegetation to find a perch to sleep at night. ^[1]

Reproduction

Rhampholeon moyeri is oviparous. ^[2]

Etymology

Rhampholeon moyeri is named after zoologist David C. Moyer, who collected the first known specimen. ^{[2] [4] : 183}

Description

The maximum total length (tail included) of Rhampholeon moyeri is 64 mm (2.5 in) for females, 51 mm (2.0 in) for males. ^[2]

References

1. Tolley, K.; Menegon, M. (2014). "Rhampholeon moyeri ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014 e.T172550A1345066. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172550A1345066.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. "Rhampholeon moyeri ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
3. Menegon, M.; Lyakurwa, J.V.; Loader, S.P.; Tolley, K.A. (2022). "Cryptic diversity in pygmy chameleons (Chamaeleonidae: Rhampholeon) of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, with description of six new species". Acta Herpetologica. 17 (2): 85–113.
4. Beolens, B.; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. xiii + 296. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5.

Further reading

• Fisseha, M.; Mariaux, J.; Menegon, M. (2013). "The "Rhampholeon uluguruensis complex" (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) and the taxonomic status of the pygmy chameleons of Tanzania". Zootaxa. 3746 (3): 439–453.
• Matthee, C.A.; Tilbury, C.R.; Townsend, T. (2004). "A phylogenetic review of the African leaf chameleons: genus Rhampholeon (Chamaeleonidae): the role of vicariance and climate change in speciation". Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences. 271: 1967–1975.
• Menegon, M.; Salvidio, S.; Tilbury, C. (2002). "A new dwarf chameleon from the Udzungwa Mountains of Tanzania, East Africa (Squamata: Rhampholeon Günther 1874)". Journal of Herpetology. 36 (1): 51–57. (Rhampholeon moyeri, new species).
• Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Hinkel, H.; Menegon, M. (2018). A Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury Wildlife. ISBN   978-1-399-40481-5. 624 pp. (Rhampholeon moyeri, p. 252).