Comparison of pelvic girdles in chameleons

Comparison of pelvic girdles in chameleons

Science

The anatomy of chameleons is strongly adapted to their way of life. Tree-dwellers differ in many aspects from ground-dwellers. The pelvic girdle has been little studied anatomically in chameleons so far – a publication from the USA now deals with it in more detail.

For the study, the pelvic girdles of 22 chameleons were isolated from existing microcomputer tomography scans and displayed in 3D. These were measured to 16 different lengths and angles using software. Archaius tigris, Bradypodion damaranum, Calumma gallus, Calumma parsonii parsonii, Chamaeleo zeylanicus, Furcifer balteatus, Kinyongia matschiei, Kinyongia tavetana, Nadzikambia mlanjense and Trioceros quadricornis gracilior were assigned to tree dwellers. Brookesia brygooi, Chamaeleo namaquensis, Palleon nasus nasus, Rhampholeon temporalis and Rieppeleon brachyurus were attributed to ground-dwelling species. The species Bradypodion occidentale, Brookesia ebenaui, Chamaeleo anchietae, Furcifer campani, Rhampholeon spinosus, Rieppeleon kerstenii kerstenii and Trioceros goetzei goetzei were classified as semiarboreal. Mainly males were examined.

As expected, the evaluation showed that tree-dwelling chameleons had narrower, shorter girdles than ground-dwelling ones. The narrower pelvic girdle makes it easier to hide behind branches and flatten the body to the maximum. It also ensures that the body’s centre of gravity is closer to the branch and thus increases stability when climbing. Ground-dwelling chameleons, on the other hand, had larger and wider pelvic girdles. These allow them to step more quickly and provide greater stability when walking on ground surfaces.

How phylogeny and arboreality affect pelvic girdle anatomy of chameleons
Dakota J. John
Honors Thesis 299, University of South Dakota, 2023
DOI: none

 

Presentation in Münster about Cameroon

Presentation in Münster about Cameroon

Live lectures

On Friday, 19 May 2023, the renowned herpetologist Prof. Dr Wolfgang Böhme will give a lecture on herpetological expeditions in West Africa. In several research trips, he studied the large-scale habitats of desert, savannah, and rainforest and their respective marginal areas with regard to their amphibians and reptiles, whose current distribution reflects the influence of the major postglacial climate fluctuations. The rediscovery of the desert crocodile in the Mauritanian Sahara, thought to be extinct for decades, is just one of many highlights. In Guinea, the Lama Forest proved to be a snake hotspot: in just two weeks, the travellers were able to find 38 species sympatrically. In the Cameroon mountains, where relics of German colonial history can still be found several times, the previously unknown herpetological Mount Nlonako proved to be the most species-rich amphibian site in Africa at the time. The vertical zoning, combined with numerous watercourses, led to a great diversity of frog fauna, which was inventoried for the first time. With over 90 species, including the charismatic hairy and goliath frogs, Mount Nlonako is one of the richest amphibian hotspots in the Afrotropical region. The various, beautiful Montane Chameleons in Cameroon also proved to be an excellent model group to exemplify the process of speciation.

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Böhme Overland from Germany to Cameroon
DGHT City group Münster
Zoo school of Allwetterzoo
Sentruper Str. 315
48161 Münster
Admission from 6.30 p.m., lecture begins at 7 p.m.

Where should the next conference take place?

Where should the next conference take place?

AG Interna

At the general member meeting during our 2023 conference, the question arose as to whether the next meeting could take place at a different location in Germany. The AG Chamäleons has been meeting in Boppard am Rhein for 21 years. Other DGHT working groups use different locations, so that all members sometimes have a longer, sometimes a shorter journey. Therefore we simply put the question of the meeting place to the vote. Please participate diligently in the poll so that we get an up-to-date picture of our members’ wishes and can act accordingly.

Please click here to go to the poll.

Presentation in Mönchengladbach/Krefeld about Uganda

Presentation in Mönchengladbach/Krefeld about Uganda

Live lectures

On Friday, 12 May 2023, Sönke Frahm will hold his presentation “Uganda – Pearl of Africa” in Mönchengladbach/Krefeld. He will report on a trip to the East African country of Uganda, which is framed by South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. The journey starts in Entebbe on Lake Victoria and from there to the Mitjanja District in search of snakes of the species Bitis and Atheris. Sönke then takes the visitor on a safari to the unique Queen Elisabeth National Park and for chimpanzee trekking in Kibale National Park. Afterwards, a visit to the famous mountain gorillas in Bwindi National Park is scheduled. The trip concludes in a swamp area at Lake Victoria to look for the charismatic Abu Markub, the “father of the shoe”. Sönke met several species of chameleons on the way – there are thirteen different ones in Uganda – and of course, photographed them. So if you want to enjoy an evening with not only herpetological impressions, the regional group Mönchengladbach/Krefeld is the place to be. The presentation is in German.

Sönke Frahm: Uganda – Perle Afrikas
DGHT Regional group Mönchengladbach/Krefeld
Gaststätte Hubertuseck
Hubertusstraße 27
47877 Willich-Schiefbahn
Lecture begins at 7.30 p.m.

Donations to the AG Chamäleons

Donations to the AG Chamäleons

AG Interna

During our conference, several donations were handed over, which we are of course very happy about. Firstly, Jean-Dominique Dufraine from Terra-Kultur donated 500 €, secondly, Jutta Dwinger handed over the proceeds of the bags she sold during the conference amounting to 320 € to the AG. Thirdly, Caro Vierbücher joined in and added another 100 € to the already high sum. Thank you very much for these great donations!

Conference Report 2023

Conference Report 2023

Conference reports

From 05 to 07 May 2023, the annual meeting of the AG Chamäleons once again took place in Boppard am Rhein. Traditionally, the chameleon friends who had already arrived on Friday met at the Italian restaurant in the Rheinallee for a cosy dinner. After the location had changed owners and names several times in the past years, it is now called “Castello da Toni” again, as it was many years ago. An exchange of experiences and many exciting conversations heralded the conference.

Saturday morning started with a classic keeping and breeding session in front of almost 50 chameleon lovers who turned up. Jean-Dominique Dufraine gave a talk on two species that he has been keeping and breeding successfully for several years. Rieppeleon brevicaudatus, a terrestrial chameleon that seems to have been somewhat forgotten in herpetoculture in recent years, but which is a lot of fun to keep, will hopefully get a new chance to reappear in German terrariums in the future. The Seychelle’s Chameleon Archaius tigris is also small, but a species with interesting behaviour that can be kept in groups. Thorsten Negro then reported on his recent trip to Madagascar, where he went in search of the various Parson’s Chameleons of the red island. A special target was the “green giant“, the colour variant of the Parson’s Chameleon in the rainforest of Masoala, which had hardly been documented until then.

 

After the lunch break, we continued with legal aspects of terraristics, interestingly presented by Oliver Witte. Whether a tenant can prohibit the keeping of chameleons, whether a certificate of competence makes sense for everyone (yes!) and what rights and obligations you have when selling animals were just some of the topics discussed. In the photo competition, a beautiful photo of a Brookesia vadoni from Marojejy in Madagascar by Markus Bartels was chosen as the winner. He received a 50 € voucher from Chimaira as well as one of the beautiful conference collector’s mugs designed by Caro Vierbücher, which change chameleon species every year – depending on the winning motif of the previous year’s photo competition. Second place went to Markus Grimm with a photo of a Chamaeleo chamaeleon reticrista from the island of Samos in Greece. He received a 30 € voucher from QB Insects. Third place went to Monique Bartsch with a photo of a Calumma globifer she bred herself. She also received a voucher from QB Insects.

 

The eagerly awaited lecture by Dr. Sarina Wunderlich on the subject of UV-B LEDs. then went directly into practical herpetoculture. The conclusion after many measurements and considerations: Currently, the physicist advises against the use of UV-B LEDs over chameleon terrariums. However, the technical possibilities to reduce the previous deficits of LEDs are already available – just not affordable for the normal consumer so far. It is therefore realistic that UV-B LEDs will become usable in a few years. So we are eagerly awaiting an update in the not-too-distant future. The lecture part was concluded by Rayane Vuillemin, who presented the Association Caméléon Center Consérvation founded in Switzerland last year. Various projects are planned to draw greater public attention to the protection of chameleons. Among others, a project on the occurrence of chameleons in the Vohimana Special Reserve in Madagascar is currently being supported. Several chameleon species are also to be propagated across Europe as part of an ex-situ breeding programme to establish a stable population outside their home countries. An exciting project that we are sure to hear more about!

The general member meeting at the end of the day was pleasantly short. Treasurer Tim Vierbücher gave an overview of the current financial situation. WG spokesperson Dr Alexandra Laube presented the activities of the board in the past year. In addition to the complete overhaul of the website and increased activity in social media, a monthly newsletter was launched and a AG-owned cloud and a data management system were set up, especially for publications. The increased visibility generated a lot of approval among the AG members. The goals for the coming year are the revival of the breeding statistics and the 50th-anniversary issue of CHAMAELEO. In addition, there will be a survey on whether the conference should continue to take place in Boppard or whether it should change location again after 21 years. We are already looking forward to the result! The various ideas and presentations were then eagerly discussed at the joint dinner.

 

On Sunday, it started right on time with a travel report by Lars Dwinger, who actually comes from the aquatics scene and came to the chameleons via his first trip to Madagascar. He showed many great photos from the rainforests of Ranomafana and Andasibe in the highlands as well as Akanin’ny Nofy on the east coast of Madagascar and gave tips for travelling around the Indian Ocean. The conference ended as it began, with a husbandry report – this time by Markus Grimm. He told about the habitat of Chamaeleo chamaeleon reticrista in the wild and showed video and picture material of storm-beaten chameleons as well as mating. Afterwards, the expert examiner for Switzerland presented his own husbandry conditions for the species in the terrarium and gave a lot of information on how the successful incubation and breeding of the European Chameleon can succeed.

Finally, there were some great donations to the AG: Jean-Dominique Dufraine donated 500 €, Jutta Dwinger donated the proceeds of the bags she sold of 320 € and Caro Vierbücher rounded up the already impressive sum by another 100 € for the AG Chamäleons. Many thanks to all three donors! A big thank you also goes to all the speakers for their interesting and varied contributions and to the helpers in the background who made the conference a success. And finally, we would like to thank the DGHT Policy Advisory Board, Peter Sound, for once again making the premises available without complications. We are looking forward to 2024!

Tagungsprogramm 2023

  Freitag, 05. Mai 2023
__
18:00 Anreise und gemütliches Abendessen
__
  Samstag, 06. Mai 2023
__
09:00 __ Eintreffen am Tagungsort
09:15 Begrüßung
09:30 Jean-Dominique Dufraine: Haltung von Archaius tigris
und Rieppeleon brevicaudatus
10:30 Thorsten Negro: Auf der Jagd nach dem Green Giant – Calumma parsonii parsonii auf Madagaskar
12:00 Mittagspause
13:30 Oliver Witte: Alles was Recht ist
14:45 Fotowettbewerb
15:00 Sarina Wunderlich: UVB-LEDs – neue Entwicklungen in der Terrarienbeleuchtung
16:00 Diskussionsrunde
16:45 Mitgliederversammlung
  __
  Sonntag, 07. Mai 2023
__
09:15 Eintreffen am Tagungsort
09:30 Lars Dwinger: Einmal Madagaskar, immer Madagaskar – Von der Sucht nach der roten Insel
11:15 Markus Grimm: Das  Gemeine Chamäleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) – Systematik, Habitat, Haltung und Zucht
12:00 Verabschiedung
The Arabian Chameleon in Abyan (Yemen)

The Arabian Chameleon in Abyan (Yemen)

Verbreitung Science

The majority of overview studies on the occurrence of reptiles in Yemen date back to the 1990s. More recent research is mainly based on areas close to cities, but less on more remote regions. Two biologists from the Universities of Aden and Abyan have recently published a survey on the occurrence of reptiles in Abyan.

The Abyan governorate is located in the south of Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the Gulf of Aden to the south and the governorates of Aden, Lahji, Al Bayda, and Shabwa to the west, north and east. 44 areas in Abyan were surveyed within a whole year. Reptiles were caught by hand and some were merely documented, while others were killed and preserved. A total of 202 animals were examined.

A total of 24 different reptile species were found. Chamaeleo arabicus was found in the districts of Lawdar, Zinjibar, Khanfir and Jayshan. Of the 23 finds, most were made in western Khanfir, not far from the town of Zinjibar. Two chameleons were found in northern Lawdar and only one in southern Jayshan. The authors point out that the chameleons are mainly found in cultivated landscapes.

Distribution of lizards in Abyan Governorate, Yemen
Salem M. Busais, Wafa A. Abo-Alib, Hasan M. Alrahowi
Electronic Journal of University of Aden for Basic and Applied Sciences 4 (1), 2023
DOI: 10.47372/ejua-ba.2023.1.220

Keeping and breeding Parson’s Chameleons

Keeping and breeding Parson’s Chameleons

Haltungsberichte Newspaper articles

The keeping and breeding of Calumma parsonii parsonii has become quite successful in Germany in recent years. There are regular offspring and keeping is also becoming increasingly popular. In the current issue of Elaphe, the magazine of the DGHT e.V., there is a detailed report on keeping this beautiful, large chameleon species. It was written by three members of the AG Chamäleons.

They keep their animals in self-built terrariums made of aluminium profiles and Forex with a completely ventilated lid, and door as well as a full side area or in spacious winter gardens. Living plants provide sufficient cover. Both sexes are kept individually. Lighting is provided by Reptiles Expert metal halide lamps, Arcadia UV-B tubes, and HQIs. The lighting time is 10 to 12 hours in summer and winter. The enormous drinking needs of the species are satisfied by daily manual watering. In addition, feeding is rather sparse with only one adult food animal, e.g. a grasshopper, per chameleon per day (or the equivalent of several smaller food animals). A cooler winter hibernation, imitating the dry season in Madagascar, ensures a higher life expectancy and is therefore recommended by the authors.

Mating takes place in the German midsummer from July to August. The chameleons are put together for a few days until successful matings have taken place. The females are pregnant for four to six months. Between late December and early February, the female digs an elongated tube into the ground and lays 20 to 69 eggs. The incubation of the eggs takes place on perlite at 23 to 24°C. Weekly the eggs are sprinkled with distilled water. In February, a diapause is carried out at 13 to 14°C without further water supply. The young hatch after 15 to 24 months and are then raised individually. Unfortunately, the sex can only be determined at the age of 9 to 12 months.

All in all, this is a very detailed article with a lot of information for chameleon lovers who are interested in keeping this great species or are looking for one or two tips for breeding. In addition, the article discusses the distribution and habitat of the different colour varieties of Calumma parsonii parsonii on Madagascar.

Parsons-Chamäleons (Calumma parsonii parsonii) – Madagascar’s Gentle Giants
Alexandra Laube, Andreas Augustin und Thorsten Negro
Elaphe 3, 2023, pp. 12-25

Foto: Schlupf eines Parsons Chamäleons, fotografiert von Alex Laube

 

Panther chameleons in Madagascar

Panther chameleons in Madagascar

General topics Verbreitung Newspaper articles

In the bi-monthly magazine of the DGHT e.V., the Elaphe, a nice article on the panther chameleons of Madagascar has been published. It was written by two members of the AG Chamäleons who regularly travel to the island.

The article describes in words and pictures the distribution area of the panther chameleons on Madagascar, which extends over the northern half of the island, more precisely from a few kilometres south of the village of Ankaramibe in the northwest to the north of Madagascar and down the east coast to about 90 km south of the port city of Toamasina. The chameleons are found mainly in secondary vegetation in open landscapes, but also in cocoa plantations, overgrown gardens and rainforests.

The life cycle of the panther chameleons in Madagascar is mainly determined by the rainy season between November and March. The chameleons mate during this time. After 30 to 40 days, the females lay between 11 and 35 eggs in a nest they have dug themselves. The young hatch only in the next rainy season.

The article goes into particular detail about the different local forms, the different colour appearance of the male panther chameleons depending on the location. The authors currently count more than 30 different local forms on Madagascar, which are separated from each other by natural barriers such as rivers. There are probably many more, but not all of them have been discovered yet.

Pantherchamäleons (Furcifer pardalis) – Meister der Farben
Thorsten Negro and Alexandra Laube
Elaphe 3, 2023, pp. 12-25

Photo: Panther chameleon of the local form Ambanja on Madagascar, photographed by Thorsten Negro.

Aggressive fungal pathogen discovered in panther chameleons

Aggressive fungal pathogen discovered in panther chameleons

Tiermedizin Science

Fungi of the genera Nannizziopsis and Paranannizziopsis have long been known to cause severe skin diseases in various reptiles. These include species feared in herpetocolture such as CANV (Chrysosporium Anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii) and Nannizziopsis dermatitidis, which are apparently obligate pathogens. Now, a similar skin fungus has been detected in panther chameleons in Florida, USA.

Nine adult panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) were taken from a wild population in Florida. They were first housed in groups of two or three chameleons in screen cages with natural and artificial plants at a private keeper. A ReptiSun 5.0 lamp and a conventional light bulb were used. The animals were fed with crickets and zophobas every second day and supplemented with vitamins and calcium. All nine panther chameleons, plus a tenth that was captured later, were finally given to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a series of experiments. They were kept individually in steel aviaries outdoors.

Subsequently, the eight remaining panther chameleons were also examined. In fact, all but one of the chameleons were found to have either missing claws or swelling of the hands and feet, small skin wounds, circumferential proliferation on the body and/or yellow and black skin lesions. Fungal PCR was no longer carried out, but infection with the same pathogen was suspected. All nine panther chameleons still alive were treated with 25 mg/kg terbinafine and 5 mg/kg voriconazole, both given orally once daily.

After six weeks, the panther chameleons were examined again. The skin lesions were still present, in two animals the hand and foot swellings had decreased. After eleven to twelve weeks of treatment, all symptoms had disappeared in seven chameleons. The skin lesions had developed into scars. Only two chameleons still showed swelling in the foot area, but less than at the beginning of treatment. After 14 weeks of therapy, another panther chameleon died. The autopsy revealed kidney and organ damage as the cause of death. Since the contribution of the medication used to the death of the chameleon could not be ruled out, the therapy was terminated in week 15 for six of the eight panther chameleons. The two panther chameleons that still showed swelling of the feet were treated for another two weeks.

This case report is the first detection of Paranannizziopsis australasiensis in chameleons. So far, this fungal pathogen has only been found in green iguanas and Eastern bearded dragons in herpetoculture and in Tuataras, skinks, geckos, and snakes in nature. It remains unclear where the panther chameleons became infected. Three of the screen cages used in the initial private husbandry had previously been inhabited by Veiled Chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) and Knight Anoles. The private keeper had disinfected the terrariums with chlorine bleach. The rest of his reptile population showed no skin lesions. The aviaries used later at the USDA had been empty for years and had previously only been inhabited by small birds. It is possible that the fungal pathogen had been introduced via potted plants from nurseries that regularly observe native reptiles on the premises. However, Paranannizziopsis australasiensis has not been found in any other wild reptile species in Florida to date.

The most likely scenario seems to be that the chameleons were already infected before they were caught in Florida, but the disease only broke out later. The original animals of the population could have been infected by bearded dragons in the pet trade a good decade ago. A latent infection with a late onset is supported by the fact that most of the skin lesions in this case report were found in winter, after temperatures had dropped below 10°C. Moreover, before the onset of symptoms, so-called “thermal limit trials” were carried out, in which the animals were briefly exposed to extreme temperatures of up to 45°C and 6°C. Another chameleon from the same population was caught at a later time and also developed skin lesions, which indeed suggests an infected population in Florida.

A free-ranging chameleon population infected with Paranannizziopsis australasiensis could pose a huge risk to native reptiles. The fungal pathogen is known to be highly infectious and aggressive. In addition, free-ranging panther chameleons in Florida are now being captured by dealers and sold to private owners, which could result in the spread of the disease in private reptile populations. Further research is urgently needed to clarify the extent of the current occurrence of Paranannizziopsis australasiensis in Florida, both in herpetoculture and in the wild.

Dermatomycosis caused by Paranannizziopsis australasiensis in nonnative panther chameleons (Furcifer pardalis) captured in Central Florida, USA
Natalie M. Claunch, Colin M. Goodman, Madison Harman, Mariaguadalupe Vilchez, Savanna D. Smit, Bryan M. Kluever, James F.X. Wellehan, Robert J. Ossiboff, Christina M. Romagosa
Journal of Wildlife Diseases (4), 2023
DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-22-00018