Presentation in Bern about Samos (Greece)

Presentation in Bern about Samos (Greece)

by Alex Negro Live lectures

Markus Grimm, long-time member of AG Chamäleons and entrusted for many years in Switzerland with conducting expert courses for chameleon keeping, will show a detailed lecture on the island of Samos (Greece) on 08 November 2023 in Bern (Switzerland).

The Greek island of Samos is located in the Eastern Aegean Sea and is only 1.2 km away from the Turkish mainland. It is precisely this geographical location that makes the island with its flora and fauna extremely diverse and exciting. A pinch of culture, integrated into the nature of the plants, with a bouquet of orchids, surrounded by countless animals such as birds, insects, spiders, scorpions, amphibians and reptiles make up the recipe for this lecture. Markus Grimm has been visiting the island of Samos for more than 25 years, always discovering something new. His first visit to Samos was to see the European Chameleon. But it didn’t stop there and so the fauna and flora of this unique island became a part of his life.

Markus Grimm Samos – Die griechische Natur hautnah
SIGS Sektion Bern
Restaurant Kreuz
Jegenstorf (Schweiz)
Vortragsbeginn 20.00 Uhr

Foto: Markus Grimm

Genome of South African dwarf chameleons decoded

Genome of South African dwarf chameleons decoded

by Alex Negro Science

After a reference genome for the panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) was recently published for the first time in China, scientists from South Africa have now followed with the genome of two dwarf chameleon species.

For the analyses, a male Bradypodion pumilum from Cape Town and a male Bradypodion ventrale from an introduced population in Johannesburg were taken. Muscle and liver tissue was used for long sequencing (HiC). The genome size of Bradypodion pumilum is 2.43 gigabase pairs (Gb), that of Bradypodion ventrale 2.40 Gb. The BUSCO analysis demonstrated a high completeness with about 97% of all existing coding genes in vertebrates. Furthermore, the current publication confirms the six macrochromosomes already found from the karyotype in Bradypodion thamnobates 2017. Various comparisons with Anolis sagrei were made. It remains open which chromosomes in Bradypodion are sex chromosomes.

The genomes can be viewed in the NCBI BioProject under the number PRJNA9861319 and under the BioSample numbers SAMN35825189 and SAMN35825190 respectively.

De novo whole genome assemblies for two Southern African Dwarf Chameleons (Bradypodion, Chamaeleonidae)
Jody M. Taft, Krystal A. Tolley, Graham J. Alexander, Anthony J. Geneva
Genome Biology and Evolution 15 (10), 2023, pp. 1-8
DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad182

Presentation in Mönchengladbach about South Africa

Presentation in Mönchengladbach about South Africa

by Alex Negro Reiseberichte Live lectures

On Friday, 3 November 2023, Reinhard Münzer will give a lecture on a trip to South Africa that is not just about herpetology. The country, which is 3.4 times the size of Germany and has a diverse natural environment, offers the best conditions for exciting and varied discoveries. The lecture will not only show reptiles, but of course also the Big Five.

Reinhard Münzer Travel impressions South Africa
DGHT regional group Mönchengladbach/Krefeld
Vereinsheim SC 08 Schiefbahn
Siedlerallee 27
47877 Willich-Schiefbahn
Meeting from 7.30 pm, presentation starts at 8.00 pm

Picture: Reinhard Münzer

Presentation in Basel about the European Chameleon

Presentation in Basel about the European Chameleon

by Alex Negro Haltungsberichte Live lectures

Markus Grimm, long-time member of the AG Chameleons and for many years entrusted in Switzerland with the implementation of expert courses for chameleon keeping, will give a detailed lecture on the European chameleon on 01 November 2023 in Basel (Switzerland).

The European chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) describes the archetype of the chameleon as such and thus has status character for the human conception of chameleons. The rather seldom kept chameleon species makes some demands on keeping and breeding, which Markus was able to fathom during trips to the habitat as well as during keeping in the terrarium. After a short introduction, which includes systematics, Markus gives insights into the habitat of this chameleon in nature. In addition, the audience will learn the most important parameters for successful keeping and breeding in the terrarium. So it will definitely be very exciting – anyone interested in chameleons should definitely watch this lecture!

Markus Grimm The European Chameleon – Habitat, husbandry and breeding
The presentation will be held in German language!
DGHT City group Basel
Restaurant Schiff
4102 Binningen (Schweiz)
Presentation starts at 8 p.m.

Picture: Markus Grimm

Findings on the synonyms of Trioceros ituriensis

Findings on the synonyms of Trioceros ituriensis

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

Synonyms for the Congolese Ituri chameleon (Trioceros ituriensis) have existed for several decades. A recent publication by the herpetologist Wolfgang Böhme questions whether two of them could be separate species.

The US herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt described the chameleon as Chamaeleon ituriensis in 1919. At that time, Schmidt gave Medje, Ituri Forest, in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the type locality. He already noticed the external similarity to Chamaeleon johnstoni affinis, which is why he gave exactly that as a synonym of his Chamaeleon ituriensis. At the same time, Chamaeleon johnstoni affinis must not be confused with today’s Trioceros affinis, a separate species from Ethiopia that had already been described in 1845. In the course of the 20th century, Chamaeleo johnstoni affinis was placed in the genus Trioceros, sometimes thought to be a subspecies of its own, sometimes not. Böhme states that Trioceros johnstoni affinis is definitely a synonym of Trioceros ituriensis. Differences between Trioceros johnstoni and Trioceros ituriensis are the body size, the “reversed” sexual dimorphism (in T. ituriensis the females are larger than the males), a white line along the belly, several rows of enlarged scales along the side of the body, conical scales on the sides of the throat and the absence of rostral and preocular horns in male T. ituriensis.

However, the author is not sure about the species status of Chamaeleo laevigularis. The species was originally described from South Africa in 1926, then considered a synonym of Trioceros johnstoni and last identified as T. ituriensis by Tilbury in 2010. Böhme considers, because of different scaling of the throat, whether either a wrong locality was noted in the first description or it is a separate species, but could be extinct or lost.

Böhme also comes to the conclusion that Trioceros tremperi, which was described by Neĉas in 1994, could possibly also represent an already extinct species or a lost species and that the locality simply corresponded to incorrect information. Trioceros tremperi was last given as a synonym of Trioceros ituriensis by Tilbury 2010 and Spawls 2018. The chameleons had not been found in the type locality in Kenya before.

Documenting synonymies in Trioceros ituriensis (Schmidt, 1929) with remarks on sexual dimorphism in chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae)
Wolfgang Böhme
Revue Suisse de Zoologie 130(2), 2023: pp. 521-264
Correction from 2024
DOI: 10.35929/RSZ.0099

Photo: Trioceros ituriensis in the Budongo forest, Uganda, photographed by Katja Rembold

Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin in chameleons

Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin in chameleons

by Alex Negro Tiermedizin Science

After a study on sperm collection in chameleons was already published this year, further results from the largely same team of authors now follow. The aim is to further research the basics of assisted reproduction, i.e. medical assistance in reproduction, in chameleons.

At Louisiana State University, 24 Veiled Chameleons were kept under standardised conditions for over a year. All animals came from a dealer who had taken them from the population of wild Veiled Chameleons in Florida. All were kept individually in ReptiBreeze, equipped with automatic sprinklers and artificial plants. Temperatures were around 28-29°C during the day with spots to seek higher values. 12 h UV-B irradiation per day was offered. Crickets and zophobas were fed. Before the start of the study, all 24 chameleons were clinically examined and several parasite treatments were carried out. Only after a month of acclimatisation did the actual study begin.

The first experiment tested what dose of human choriogonadotropin (hCG) is needed to increase the hormone levels of testosterone in the blood by 50%. Eleven Veiled Chameleons were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The three groups received injections of 100, 200 or 300 IU hCG under the skin at two-week intervals. Blood samples were taken before the first hormone injection and at 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, four hours, eight hours, 12 hours and 24 hours afterwards.

The second experiment tested the effect of hCG treatment on sperm production. 13 Veiled Chameleons were randomly assigned to a treatment or a control group. Once a week for one month, the animals in the first group were treated with 100 IU of hCG, while the second group was only injected with the same volume of isotonic saline. After a four-week break, the groups were switched and the experiment repeated. Blood samples to measure testosterone levels were taken before treatment and on day 15 and 30 afterwards. Semen was collected by electroejaculation under anaesthesia on the day before treatment and 30 days after.

The results showed that the testosterone level in male Veiled Chameleons increased significantly directly after the administration of hCG and remained elevated for about 24 hours. However, it did not matter which dose of hCG had been given beforehand. It could also be shown that the testosterone level increased significantly after the administration of hCG compared to the control group, which only received saline solution. The number of successful electroejaculations could be increased under hCG.

Effects of exogenous human chorionic gonadotropin administration on plasma testosterone and semen production in the Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
Sean M. Perry, Sarah R. Camlic, Michael Lierz, Mark A. Mitchell
Journal of Herpetological Medicine and Surgery 33 (3), 2023, pp. 180-191
DOI: 10.5818/JHMS-D-22-00038

The microbiome of dwarf chameleons

The microbiome of dwarf chameleons

by Alex Negro Tiermedizin Science

The term microbiome has been very popular for some years now. In humans and animals, it refers to the totality of all microorganisms that colonise a living being. Most of them colonise the gastrointestinal tract. In the case of chameleons, there is only very limited literature on this topic. A master’s thesis from South Africa now deals with the bacterial composition of the microbiome in South African dwarf chameleons of the genus Bradypodion.

60 cheek swabs were collected from wild chameleons in KwaZulu-Natal. Of these, 20 were cheek swabs from Bradypodion melanocephalum, 20 from Bradypodion thamnobates and 20 from Bradypodion setaroi. After sampling, the same 60 animals were transported in cloth bags to the research base, where the animals were kept in 3.3 l boxes for 24 hours to obtain faecal samples. Since not all of the original 60 chameleons defecated, faeces were collected from additional chameleons.

The samples were all genetically tested. 40.43% of the samples contained Firmicutes, a similarly large proportion of the samples contained Proteobacteria with 36.86%. Bacteroidota followed with some distance, which could be detected in just under 16% of the samples. Verrucomicrobiota, Fusobacteriota, Actinobateriota, Spirochetes, Desulfobacteroa, Cyanobacteria, Thermoplamatota, Deferribacterota, Synergistota, Campylobacterota, Deinococcota, Halobacterota, Euryarchaeota, Elusimicrobiota and Myxococcota were found in significantly smaller numbers (up to 2%).

The microbiome of dwarf chameleons of the species Bradypodion melanocephalum, Bradypodion thamnobates and Bradypodion setaroi is similar to that of other reptiles. It consists mainly of proteobacteria and firmicutes, which may contribute to digestion. One particular bacterial species also suggests that the diet of the studied dwarf chameleons may include beetles of the genus Dendrophagus. The microbiome of all three dwarf chameleon species was very similar in the cheek swabs – this is called phylosymbiosis – while there were differences in composition between the species in the faeces. In all three dwarf chameleon species, significantly more different bacteria were found in the faeces than in the cheek swabs. A comparison between males and females did not reveal any significant differences in the microbiome of all three chameleon species. The author assumes that the bacterial species depend on the different habitats of the respective species. It is still unclear to what extent the microbiome is related to bacteria that a chameleon may ingest with feeding insects or from the soil of its environment. A detailed list of the bacterial species found can be found in the appendix of the publication.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion): The composition and function of the microbiome
Matthew G. Adair
Master of Science dissertation at the university of Johannesburg, 2023
DOI: not available

Trioceros jacksoniis looking for a new home

Trioceros jacksoniis looking for a new home

by Alex Negro Abzugeben AG Interna General topics

A keeper has contacted us as AG Chamäleons because he is looking for new keepers for his three Trioceros jacksonii jacksonii. Two males and one female (2.1) are for sale. One of the males was bought in 2020 already adult. Together with a female that unfortunately died, it then had offspring, of which two still remain with the owner. The two offspring are a male and a female born in November 2020. All three chameleons eat very well and are not used to daily handling. If you are interested in adopting the animals, please send an email to info@agchamaeleons.de.

Addendum 27.09.2023: All three animals have found a new owner.