Trioceros johnstoni

Last updated

Trioceros johnstoni
Ruwenzori three-horned chameleon - close up.JPG
Male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Trioceros
Species:
T. johnstoni
Binomial name
Trioceros johnstoni
(Boulenger, 1901)
Synonyms [2]
  • Chamaeleon johnstoni
    Boulenger, 1901
  • Chamaeleo johnstoni
    Laurent, 1951
  • Chamaeleo (Trioceros) johnstoni
    Nečas, 1999
  • Trioceros johnstoni
    Tilbury & Tolley, 2009

Trioceros johnstoni, known commonly as Johnston's chameleon, Johnston's three-horned chameleon, and the Ruwenzori three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. [3] The species is endemic to highlands in the Albertine Rift in central Africa. [1] It reaches up to 30 cm (12 in) in total length (including tail). Only the adult male has three horns. The female is hornless. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy and etymology

The three long annulated horns in the male T. johnstoni makes it superficially similar to T. jacksonii and T. werneri , and to an extent also to the short-horned T. fuelleborni and the smooth-horned T. oweni , [4] but they are not close relatives. [5] Its nearest relative is the hornless T. ituriensis . [5]

The specific name johnstoni was given in honour of the British explorer Harry Johnston. [6] [7]

Distribution and habitat

T. johnstoni is found in forests at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,500 m (3,300–8,200 ft) in the Albertine Rift of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Burundi, western Rwanda, and southwestern Uganda, but also tolerates semi-urbanized environments as long as some trees and bushes remain. [1]

Behaviour

Males of T. johnstoni are fiercely territorial and readily will fight other males, using their horns and biting. [4]

Reproduction

T. johnstoni is oviparous, with the female laying 4–23 eggs per clutch. [5]

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.

<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">Jackson's chameleon</span> Species of lizard

Jackson's chameleon, also known commonly as Jackson's horned chameleon, the three-horned chameleon, and the Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to East Africa, and introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California. There are three recognized subspecies.

<i>Kinyongia</i> Genus of lizards

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.

<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.

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

Trioceros melleri, with the common names Meller's chameleon and giant one-horned chameleon, is the largest species of chameleon from the African mainland.

<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.

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.

<i>Trioceros deremensis</i> Species of lizard

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.

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

Owen's chameleon, also commonly known as Owen's three-horned chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to forests in central Africa. Named after British naval officer and explorer William Fitzwilliam Owen, it was first described in 1831 by the naturalist John Edward Gray, and is the type species of the genus Trioceros.

<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 vosseleri</i> Species of lizard

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.

<i>Rhampholeon beraduccii</i> Species of lizard

Rhampholeon beraduccii, also known commonly as Beraducci's pygmy chameleon or the Mahenge pygmy chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.

Trioceros chapini, also known commonly as Chapin's chameleon, the gray chameleon, and the grey chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to Central Africa.

<i>Trioceros ellioti</i> Species of lizard

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.

<i>Trioceros feae</i> Species of lizard

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 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.

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.

<i>Trioceros werneri</i> Species of lizard

Trioceros werneri, the Wemer's chameleon or Wemer's three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to forests and nearby gardens at altitudes of 1,700–2,600 m (5,600–8,500 ft) in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. The adult male has three distinct "horns", whereas the female has no or only a single short horn on the nose. Like many Trioceros species of highlands, the female T. werneri does not lay eggs, but instead gives birth to live young, typically 15–20 at a time.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tolley, K.; Plumptre, A. (2014). "Trioceros johnstoni ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T172573A1345950. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172573A1345950.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Species Trioceros johnstoni at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Tilbury, C.R. (2010). Chameleons of Africa: An Atlas, Including the Chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. ISBN   978-3899731156.
  4. 1 2 3 Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.; Ashe, J. (2002). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Academic Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN   0-12-656470-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Hughes, Daniel F.; Blackburn, Daniel G. (2020). "Evolutionary origins of viviparity in Chamaeleonidae". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 58 (1): 284–302. doi: 10.1111/jzs.12328 .
  6. Boulenger, G.A. (1901). "Description of two new Chameleons from Mount Ruwenzori, British East Africa". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 2: 135–136, Plates XII–XIII. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1901.tb08168.x. (Chamæleon johnstoni, new species, p. 136 + Plate XIII).
  7. 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. (Trioceros johnstoni, p. 135).

Further reading