''Rieppeleon brachyurus'', known
commonly as the zomba pygmy chameleon, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of chameleon, a
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern and southeastern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.
Geographic range
''R. brachyurus'' is found in
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
,
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
, and southeastern
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
s of ''R. brachyurus'' are savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
and forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
, at altitudes of .[
]
Description
The maximum recorded total length (tail included) for ''R. brachyurus'' is .[
]
Reproduction
''R. brachyurus'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Günther A (1893). "Report on a Collection of Reptiles and Batrachians transmitted by Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., from Nyassaland". ''Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London'' 1892: 555–558 + Plates XXXIII-XXXV. (''Rhampholeon brachyurus'', new species, p. 557 + Plate XXXIV, figures 2, 2a).
* Matthee, Conrad A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Townsend, Ted (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. (''Rieppeleon brachyurus'', new combination).
* Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). ''Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition''. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (''Rieppeleon brachyurus'', p. 245).
Rieppeleon
Reptiles described in 1893
Taxa named by Albert Günther
Reptiles of Malawi
Reptiles of Tanzania
Reptiles of Mozambique
{{chameleon-stub