Marshall's pygmy chameleon (''Rhampholeon marshalli)'', also called commonly Marshall's leaf chameleon, Marshall's dwarf chameleon, and Marshall's stumptail 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), ...

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 the forests of

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It grows to a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of and feeds on insects. When staying still, it resembles a leaf on a branch.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''marshalli'', is in honor of British

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall Sir Guy Anstruther Knox Marshall FRS (20 December 1871 in Amritsar, Punjab – 8 April 1959 in London), was an Indian-born British entomologist. He was an expert on African and oriental weevils.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (201 ...

, who collected the

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

Identification

Marshall's leaf chameleon is unmistakable. It is the only such tiny chameleon in its range (sympatric with '' Chamaeleo dilepis quilensis'', the flap-necked chameleon to a degree). This is a tiny species of (SVL), females being slightly larger than males. Isolated populations have distinct size variations; for example, those found just to the north of Mutare appear to be larger than those just to the south (separated by deep valleys). It has a dorsoventrally flattened head and body with prominent ribs and apparent venation, giving it the appearance of a leaf. Its colour variations are from deep brown to yellowish green according to the camouflage required for the situation. Males are usually more brightly coloured.

Breeding

Males, being slightly smaller, having a distinct penial swelling at the base of the tail, and a greener throat with a row of defining white or yellow tubercle spots, are relatively easy to distinguish from females. Broadley DG, Blake DK (1971). "A review of ''Rhampholeon marshalli'' Boulenger with the description of a new subspecies from Mozambique". ''Arnoldia'' 10 (5): 1-5.

Sympatric species

Little habitat overlap occurs as that of'' C. dilepsis'' approaches the range of Marshall's leaf chameleon. '' C. dilepis'' is rare, found in low, probably transitory population densities at the altitudes inhabited by ''R. marshalli'', preferring the sunnier grasslands and forest margins.

Related species

*''

Rhampholeon gorongosae ''Rhampholeon gorongosae'', the Mount Gorongosa pygmy chameleon, is a species of chameleon endemic to Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to t ...

'' , once considered a

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

and later raised to species, is found in similar habitats on the

Mount Gorongosa Mount Gorongosa is an inselberg in Sofala Province of central Mozambique. Its highest peak, Gogogo, reaches an elevation of 1,863 meters (6,112 feet). It was created by Karoo Volcanism. The upper zone of the mountain (above 700 meters) was ma ...

massif in adjacent Mozambique. It was discovered by the ornithologist Stuart Irwin. *''

Rhampholeon platyceps ''Rhampholeon platyceps'', the Mount Mulanje pygmy chameleon or Malawi stumptail chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in Malawi and Mozambique. References

{{Authority control Rhampholeon Reptiles described in 1893 Taxa named by Alb ...

'' , is found in similar habitats on the Mt Mulanje in adjacent Malawi.

Karyotopic taxonomy

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

(1973) confirmed that the number and form of the chromosomes from specimens provided by Broadley put ''R. marshalli'' in the

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 ...

''Rhampholeon'' with '' Rhampholeon spectrum'', the type species for the genus having 36 pairs of chromosomes like the other members of this genus.

Distribution

''Rhampholeon marshalli'' is found largely in the

Eastern Highlands :''"Eastern Highlands" also refers to Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, and part of the Great Dividing Range, Australia.'' The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe ...

of Zimbabwe and the adjacent upland forest of Mozambique.

Habitat

The patches of relict montane forest found in the Nyanga, Bvumba, Himalaya and Chimanimani Mountains are the primary habitats of ''Rhampholeon marshalli''. It can be found in the cool, damp interior of the forest, mostly in the undercanopy and on the forest margins. These forest patches are surrounded by vast expanses of montane grassland, but are often so far apart as to be isolated from one another, but forest along the numerous mountain streams may link these very limited habitats. Marked specimens surveyed over a long time appeared not to travel far at all, usually less than .

Natural history

''Rhampholeon marshalli'' seems to inhabit the subcanopy and leaf litter of the relict

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

s. Major canopy trees include ''

Syzygium ''Syzygium'' () is a genus of flowering plants that belongs to the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. The genus comprises about 1200 species, and has a native range that extends from Africa and Madagascar through southern Asia east through the Pacific. I ...

'' and ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

''. These forest are rich in

fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

and

liana A liana is a long-Plant stem, stemmed Woody plant, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the Canopy (biology), canopy in search of direct sunlight. T ...

species. Forest margins have prickly species of ''

Ilex ''Ilex'' () or holly is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen or ...

'' and ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

'' briars. How far up the canopy this creature ascends is not known, but it tends to be found in the leaf litter or low shrubs. The winters in these (evergreen) forests are sharp and very cool; a period of

brumation Dormancy is a period in an organism's life cycle when growth, development, and (in animals) physical activity are temporarily stopped. This minimizes metabolic activity and therefore helps an organism to conserve energy. Dormancy tends to be clo ...

seems likely to occur for this tiny lizard. It eat insects, though these forests seem to be fairly depleted now.

Reproduction

In the rains (November to March), Marshall's leaf chameleon lays a small clutch of embryonated eggs that hatch quickly. HumphreysHumphreys, Clive (1990). "Observations of Nest Excavation, Egg-laying and Incubation Period of Marshalls Dwarf Chameleon". ''Zimbabwe Science News'' 24 (1/3): 3-4. photographed a gravid female excavating a hole in the forest soil and laying a clutch. One egg was exhumed and found to contain a fully developed embryo. After 35 days, the eggs hatched and the tiny juveniles dispersed. Juveniles are relatively large at long (SVL).

Conservation

Like other small mountain chameleons, ''Rhampholeon marshalli'' appears to have population spikes and collapses. Its range does not appear to be threatened and much of its habitat is safe in Zimbabwe in the

Nyanga National Park Nyanga National Park lies in the north of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands. One of the first national parks to be declared in the country,Nyanga National Park. Undated pamphlet, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority it contains the highest land in Zi ...

(where introduced tree species of wattle and pine are being eradicated to allow natural forest to re-emerge), Stapleford Forest Reserve, Bunga National Park and Botanical Garden, the

Chimanimani National Park The Chimanimani Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The mountains are in the southern portion of the Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, a belt of highlands that extend north and south along the internatio ...

, and the Chirinda Forest Reserve. However, the tiny relic cloud forest patches are under constant threat from excessive collection of firewood and clearance for

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

and

protea ''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos''). It is the type genus of the Proteaceae family. About 92% of the species occur only in the Cape Floristic Region, a narrow belt of mo ...

plantations. Also, the corridors that once connected populations have indubitably diminished.