The Swartberg dwarf chameleon (''Bradypodion atromontanum'') is a species of
chameleon endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...
to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
.
[
]
Taxonomy
For many years a dwarf chameleon of undetermined taxonomic status was known from the Swartberg area. A subsequent phylogenetic study resulted in its description
Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make vivid a place, object, character, or group. Description is one of four rhetorical modes (also known as ''modes of discourse''), along with exposition, argumentation, and na ...
as a new species. Morphologically it can be confused with '' B. gutturale'' but the two species are allopatric.
Description
It is a small chameleon not exceeding 12 cm. It is usually a pale yellow/brown with greenish hues.
Distribution
It is endemic to the Swartberg
The Swartberg mountains (''black mountain'' in Afrikaans) are a mountain range in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is composed of two main mountain chains running roughly east–west along the northern edge of the semi-arid Little Kar ...
mountains, Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...
, South Africa.[ It occurs in the Swartberg Nature Reserve.]
Habitat
Swartberg dwarf chameleon is arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose num ...
and inhabits mountain fynbos habitat.
References
Bradypodion
Endemic reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles described in 2006
Taxa named by William Roy Branch
Taxa named by Krystal A. Tolley
Taxa named by Colin R. Tilbury
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