ADDIS ABABA – A team of zoologists from Germany and the Czech Republic has found new chameleon species who live on the slopes of the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. Chameleons are one of the most attractive groups of squamate reptiles, not only for their extraordinary behavior or adaptation, but also for their extraordinary species diversity and distribution.
More than 215 species described from the Chamaeleonidae family spread from Africa, Southern Europe and the Middle East to parts of South Asia. Despite the fact that Madagascar is a well-known hotspot of chameleon diversity, there is a hypothesis that this family originated from mainland Africa. (Read: Wombats, the only earth creature with box-shaped droppings, how come?)
The African continent does not only accommodate a variety chameleon species different, but, in particular, also a large number of endemics confined to one mountain or mountain range. Examples include the genus Kinyongia, but also several species from the genus Trioceros, which belong to the newly discovered species.
“The Bale Mountains in south-central Ethiopia are considered to be one of the most unique centers of endemism, with an extraordinary number of plants and animals that can only be found there,” said lead author Thore Koppetsch of the Alexander Koenig Research Museum and colleagues.
“There are already two species of chameleon from the genus Trioceros that are known to be confined to the Bale region when we found another unique representative of this group from the northern slopes of the Bale Mountains,” he continued. (Also read: Early Detection of Natural Disasters, NOAA Will Correct Weather Forecasts)
Interestingly, the new chameleon it is considered part of the widespread Ethiopian chameleon species complex (Trioceros affinis). “Previous studies have shown differences between different populations across the Ethiopian Highlands – with some of them being separated by the northern extension of the Great Rift Valley, which also shaped early human evolution,” he said.
Named Trioceros wolfgangboehmei, this new species is a small chameleon with a total length of 15.6 cm (snout-vent length 6.5 cm and tail length 9.1 cm); the head is relatively short, 1.9 cm long.
The basic color of the living individual’s body is yellowish, brownish or even bright green and varies in different individuals. “This new species has a distinctive appearance, showing enlarged spiny scales on its back and a tail that forms a protruding crest. Usually live in small trees and shrubs at an altitude above 2,500 m above sea level, “said the researchers.
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