Two “new old” chameleon species from Madagascar

Two “new old” chameleon species from Madagascar

by Alex Negro Neubeschreibungen Science

It has long been known that Calumma gallus from eastern Madagascar is not just one species, but rather an entire species complex. Scientists have now taken a closer look at the complex and conducted new genetic studies – completely overturning some species classifications in the process.

The short version:

What was previously thought to be Calumma nasutum from Andasibe, Anosibe An’Ala and Tarzanville is now called Calumma hofreiteri. The females still cannot be reliably distinguished from Calumma emelinae. The ‘real’ Calumma nasutum occurs in rainforests near Ranomafana and Mananjary. The males of Calumma nasutum have a significantly larger rostral appendage, which is often yellow in colour, while the females only have a red snub nose. Calumma nasutum belongs to the gallus complex.

What was previously thought to be Calumma gallus and occurs in the Vohimana reserve and surrounding area is now called Calumma pinocchio. The ‘real’ Calumma gallus occurs in a forest fragment near Tarzanville, in Tsinjoarivo and several small areas near Toamasina on the east coast of Madagascar. Its rostral appendage is serrated at the top, while the rostral appendage of Calumma pinocchio is smooth.

Towards a revision of the Malagasy chameleons of the Calumma gallus complex: Redefinition of Calumma nasutum based on a museomics approach and descriptions of two new species
Frank Glaw, Stefanie Agne, David Prötzel, Philip-Sebastian Gehring, Jörn Köhler, Michaela Preick, Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina, Nicolas Straube, Katharina Wollenberg Valero, Angelica Crottini, Miguel Vences
Salamandra 61(4): 442-466, 2025.
DOI: not available
Free download of the article

Photo: from the above publication, Calumma nasutum 

Comparison of pelvic girdles in chameleons

Comparison of pelvic girdles in chameleons

by Alex Negro 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