''Brookesia'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for ...

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 ...

s 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 genus is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Member

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), ...

range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons (though this

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

is also used for

in the

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

'' Rieppeleon'' and ''

Rhampholeon ''Rhampholeon'' (from , 'bird's bill' and , 'lion') 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 sava ...

''). ''Brookesia'' includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus ''Brookesia'' are largely brown, and most are essentially terrestrial. A significant percentage of the

in the genus were only identified to science within the last three decades, and a number of species that still have not received a scientific name are known to exist. Most inhabit very small ranges in areas that are difficult to access, and due to their small size and secretive nature, they have been relatively poorly studied compared to their larger relatives. ''Brookesia'' are abundant in low-disturbance riparian zones and low-disturbance rainforests. ''Brookesia'' are scarce in high-disturbance forests recovering from burning. As of 2024, '' Brookesia nofy'' is the most recently described new species in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...

Brookesiinae 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 late ...

. A different species, ''B. nana'', is the first chameleon known not to change colors.

Etymology

The generic name ''Brookesia'' is in honor of British naturalist Joshua Brookes.

Conservation status

Most ''Brookesia'' are on

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

Appendix II, the only exception being ''B. perarmata'' on Appendix I (a species also listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

and a newly discovered '' Brookesia nana'' listed as

Critically Endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

). Consequently, a special permit is required to import any of the below species from their native Madagascar, and typically no permit is issued for ''B. perarmata''.

Species

Stress-coloured Brookesia desperata female with two recently laid eggs

The genus ''Brookesia'' contains the following 32 species which are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org *''Brookesia antakarana –'' Antakarana Leaf Chameleon Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 *''Brookesia bekolosy'' – Bekolosy Leaf Chameleon Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 *''Brookesia betschi –'' Blank's Leaf Chameleon Brygoo, Blanc & Domergue, 1974 *''Brookesia bonsi'' ''–'' Namoroka Leaf Chameleon Ramanantsoa, 1980 *''Brookesia brunoi'' ''–'' Anja Reserve Leaf Chameleon Crottini et al., 2012 *'' Brookesia brygooi'' Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 – leaf chameleon or Brygoo's chameleon *'' Brookesia confidens'' Glaw et al., 2012 *'' Brookesia decaryi''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

, 1939 – spiny leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia dentata'' Mocquard, 1900 – toothed leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia desperata'' Glaw et al., 2012 *'' Brookesia ebenaui'' ( Boettger, 1880) – northern leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia exarmata'' Schimmenti & Jesu, 1996 *'' Brookesia griveaudi'' Brygoo, Blanc & Domergue, 1974 – Marojejy leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia karchei'' Brygoo, Blanc & Domergue, 1970 – naturelle leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia lambertoni'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1970 – Fito leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia lineata'' Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 *''

Brookesia micra ''Brookesia micra'', also known as the Nosy Hara leaf chameleon is a species of chameleons from the islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. At the time of its discovery, it was the smallest known chameleon and among the smallest reptile ...

'' Glaw et al., 2012 *'' Brookesia minima'' Boettger, 1893 – minute leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia nana'' Glaw et al., 2021 – Nano-chameleon *'' Brookesia nofy'' Rakotoarison et al., 2024 *'' Brookesia perarmata'' (

, 1933) – Antsingy leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia peyrierasi'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1974 – Peyrieras's leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia ramanantsoai'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1975 – Ramanantsoa's minute leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia stumpffi'' Boettger, 1894 – plated leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia superciliaris'' ( Kuhl, 1820) – brown leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia tedi'' Scherz, J. Kohler, Rakotoarison, Glaw & Vences, 2019 *'' Brookesia therezieni'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1970 – Perinet leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia thieli'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1969 – Domergue's leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia tristis'' Glaw et al., 2012 *'' Brookesia tuberculata'' Mocquard, 1894 – Mount d'Ambre leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia vadoni'' Brygoo & Domergue, 1968 – Iaraka River leaf chameleon, mossy pygmy leaf chameleon *'' Brookesia valerieae'' Raxworthy, 1991 – Raxworthy's leaf chameleon ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Brookesia''.

References

External links

*CITES
Appendices I, II and III.
Accessed 23-01-2009. * Glaw F, Vences M (2007). ''A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition.'' Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag. 496 pp. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q133154 Lizard genera Taxa named by John Edward Gray

Etymology

Conservation status

Species

See also

References

Further reading

External links