Marshall's pygmy chameleon (''Rhampholeon marshalli''), also called Marshall's leaf chameleon, Marshall's dwarf chameleon, or Marshall's stumptail chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in the forests of

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It grows from and feeds on insects. When standing still, it resembles a leaf on a branch.

Etymology

The specific name, ''marshalli'', is in honor of British

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

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 is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of seve ...

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 , females being slightly larger. 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'' (Broadley 1971), once considered a subspecies has been 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 mad ...

massif in adjacent Mozambique. It was discovered by the ornithologist Stuart Irwin. *'' Rhampholeon platyceps'' is found in similar habitats on the Mt Mulanje in adjacent Malawi.

Karyotopic taxonomy

Wright 1973 confirms the number and form of the chromosomes from specimens provided by Broadley put ''R. marshalli'' in the genus ''Rhampholeon'' with ''

Rhampholeon spectrum ''Rhampholeon'' is a genus of small chameleons, commonly known as pygmy chameleons or African leaf chameleons, found in central East Africa (extending slightly into adjacent DR Congo). They are found in forests, woodlands, thickets, and savanna, ...

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

Distribution

This species 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 Zimbab ...

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. They 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 15 m.

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 (TMCF), is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud ...

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 Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending int ...

''. These forest are rich in

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

and

liana A liana is a long- stemmed, 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 in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a ...

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 o ...

'' and ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, with over 1,350 species. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of t ...

'' briars. How far up the canopy these creatures ascend is not known, but they tend 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 these tiny lizards. They 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 Sci. 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.

Conservation

Like other small mountain chameleons, this species appears to have population spikes and collapses. Their ranges do not appear to be threatened and much of their 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 Zim ...

(where introduced tree species of wattle and pine are being eradicated to allow natural forest to re-emerge),

Stapleford Forest Reserve Stapleford may refer to: Places England *Stapleford, Cambridgeshire * Stapleford, Hampshire *Stapleford, Hertfordshire * Stapleford, Leicestershire ** Stapleford Miniature Railway * Stapleford, Lincolnshire * Stapleford, Nottinghamshire ** Staplef ...

Bunga National Park Bunga may refer to * Bunga mas, a tribute that was sent every three years to the King of Siam from its vassal states in the Malay Peninsula * Bunga River, northeastern Nigeria * ''Bunga bangkai'', a common name in Indonesia for ''Amorphophallus tita ...

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 The Chirinda Forest Botanical Reserve is situated on the slopes of Mount Selinda, south of Chipinge, in the Chipinge Highlands of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, and is administered by the Forestry Commission. The reserve is situated at between in altit ...

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

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

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 southwestern China and north ...

and

protea ''Protea'' () is a genus of South African flowering plants, also called sugarbushes (Afrikaans: ''suikerbos''). Etymology The genus ''Protea'' was named in 1735 by Carl Linnaeus, possibly after the Greek god Proteus, who could change his form a ...

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