Brookesia brygooi

Brookesia brygooi, commonly known as the leaf chameleon or Brygoo's chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chameleonidae. The species, which is endemic to Madagascar, was first described in 1995 by Raxworthy and Nussbaum and named in compliment to French herpetologist Édouard-Raoul Brygoo.[1]

Brookesia brygooi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Brookesia
Species:
B. brygooi
Binomial name
Brookesia brygooi

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classed B. brygooi as Least Concern.

Distribution and habitat

B. brygooi is endemic to southwestern Madagascar, where its type locality is Analavelona, Fianarantsoa Province, south-central Madagascar.[2] Because it is widespread and commonly found in protected areas, it was listed as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It can be found at elevations between 20 and 571 m (66 and 1,873 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL), and over an area of 147,782 square kilometres (57,059 square miles).[3] Details about the true population of B. brygooi are unknown, although it is known to be widespread.[3] It is found in many protected parks/areas/nature reserves, and is also protected under the Madagascar laws.[3]

Description

B. brygooi has an "unusual" shape of body and is earthy in colour.[4]

Diet

The diet of B. brygooi includes insects.[4]

Behavior

B. brygooi spends the night resting on twigs.[4]

Reproduction

The female of B. brygooi lays two to five eggs per clutch. The eggs measure 2.5 by 1.5 mm (0.098 by 0.059 in) each.[4]

Taxonomy

This species was initially described by Raxworthy and Nussbaum in 1995 under the name of Brookesia brygooi. The same scientific name was later used by Nečas in 1999, and, most recently by Townsend et al. in 2009.[2] According to the ITIS, the taxonomic status of B. brygooi is valid.[5] It is commonly known as the leaf chameleon.[6]

References
  1. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Brookesia brygooi, p. 41).
  2. "Brookesia brygooi ". The Reptile Database. reptile-database.reptarium.cz. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  3. "Brookesia brygooi (Brygoo's Leaf Chameleon)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  4. "Brygoo's chameleon videos, photos and facts - Brookesia brygooi ". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  5. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Brookesia brygooi ". Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). itis.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  6. "Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia brygooi ), Central-South Madagascar | UNEP/GRID-Arendal - Environmental Photo Library". Grida.no. 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2012-11-12.

Further reading
  • Nečas, Petr [sic] (1999). Chameleons: Nature's Hidden Jewels. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Co. 348 pp. ISBN 1-57524-137-4.
  • Raxworthy CJ, Nussbaum RA (1995). "Systematics, speciation and biogeography of the dwarf chameleons (Brookesia; Reptilia, Squamata, Chamaeleontidae) of northern Madagascar". Journal of Zoology, London 235: 525-558. (Brookesia brygooi, new species, pp. 542–543).
  • Townsend TM, Vieites DR, Glaw F, Vences M (2009). "Testing Species-Level Diversification Hypotheses in Madagascar: The Case of Microendemic Brookesia Leaf Chameleons". Systematic Biology 58 (6): 641-656.
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