Five new Rhampholeon species

Five new Rhampholeon species

by Alex Laube Neubeschreibungen Science

There is still a lot to discover about the small, brown pygmy chameleons on the African mainland. After new species were discovered in the Rhampholeon uluguruensis/moyeri complex in Tanzania two years ago, international scientists have now taken a closer look at the Rhampholeon boulengeri complex. And as expected, new species have been discovered!

The pygmy chameleons from this complex inhabit various habitats along the Albertine Rif). This 6000 km long chain of mountains and rifts stretches from Lake Albert in Uganda to Lake Tanganyika. It crosses the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. In the genus Rhampholeon, the species hardly differ externally, but often live in very different habitats or can be easily distinguished from each other genetically. The authors analysed over 130 pygmy chameleons from more than 20 different locations as well as the lectotypes (the holotype no longer exists) of the species Rhampholeon boulengeri. Using genetic analyses, they were able to identify five new Rhampholeon species.

The already known species Rhampholeon boulengeri, described by Grauer in 1908, occurs exclusively in its type locality according to the current data. This is the Itombwe Plateau in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at altitudes between 2100 and 2470 metres.

Rhampholeon plumptrei was named in honour of the English zoologist Andrew Plumptre. As chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Society, he has been campaigning for species conservation along the African Rift Valley for almost 20 years. The species lives in montane and submontane rainforest at altitudes of 1203-2269 metres, although they are most commonly found at 1200 to 1700 metres. The distribution ranges from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Kahuzi-Biega National Park to the west of Kenya to the Kakamega Forest National Reserve. In between, Rhampoleon plumptrei can be found in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, in Mabira and in Kalinzu Central Forest Reserve in western Uganda. It has a clearly visible nasal appendage and a slightly shorter tail than Rhampholeon boulengeri. Rhampholeon plumptrei grows up to 60 mm in size. The males have a white colouration on the throat and belly and one or two diagonal dark stripes on the body. Most chameleons of this species have a dark-coloured tubercle on the back of the neck.

Rhampholeon nalubaale was named after the Luganda word for ‘goddess’, which is also the native name of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. So far, only the females of this species are known, males have not yet been found. Rhampholeon nalubaale occurs in submontane rainforest at altitudes of 513 to 1506 metres. It is most common in the Kibale National Park in Uganda, but can also be found in the Budungo Central Forest Reserve in the same country and in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park and the Itombwe Natural Reserve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rhampholeon nalubaale grows up to 56 mm long. One of the animals found was illuminated with UV light and some of the tubercles in the face fluoresced blue, as is already known from other chameleons – but this is new for the genus Rhampholeon. The species occurs together with Trioceros johnstoni and Kinyongia tolleyae.

Rhampholeon bombayi was named after the waYao explorer Sidi Mubarak Bombay. He was born in 1820 on the border between Tanzania and Mozambique and was sold to India as a slave at an early age. He later returned to Africa and made a name for himself on expeditions by British explorers in East Africa. Rhampholeon bombayi grows up to 55 mm long. It lives in montane forests at altitudes of 1450 to 2330 metres in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has so far been recorded in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Kabobo Natural Reserve, Itombwe Natural Reserve and Nyungwe Forest National Park. Trioceros johnstoni and Trioceros schoutedeni also live in the same forest. The animals have two or three dark lines diagonally on the body, the tail and extremities are often darker brown than the trunk.

Rhampholeon msitugrabensis was named after the Albertine Rift. The Swahili word for forest, msitu, and the German word for rift, Graben, were combined. This ground chameleon grows up to 49 mm in size. It inhabits forest edges near Mpishi close to Kibira National Park in Burundi. Rhampholeon msitugrabensis is also described from Mount Bigugu in Nyungwe Forest National Park in Rwanda, so that its occurrence extends from 1986 to 2699 metres. In the Nyungwe Forest, Rhampholeon msitugrabensis occurs allopatrically with Rhampholeon bombayi, more precisely in the Kamiranzovu swamp area at 2000 to 2330 m altitude. Other chameleons that share a habitat with Rhampholeon msitugrabensis are Trioceros ellioti, Chamaeleo dilepis and Kinyongia rugegensis.

Rhampholeon monteslunae was named after its habitat, the Rwenzori Mountains on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This mountain range, where the Nile rises, was described by Ptolemy as ‘Lunae Montes’ as early as 150 AD. Rhampholeon monteslunae occurs at altitudes of 1655 to 2360 metres and is most common in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park near the entrance to Nyakalengija. Another population can be found in the Bururi Forest Nature Reserve in Burundi. This ground chameleon grows up to 47 mm long. Kinyongia carpenteri, Kinyongia xenorhina, Kinyongia tolleyae, Trioceros ellioti, Trioceros johnstoni and Trioceros rudis are also found in the same forests.

Taxonomy of the Rhampholeon boulengeri Complex (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae): Five new species from central Africa’s Albertine Rift
Daniel F. Hughes, Mathias Behangana, Wilber Lukwago, Michele Menegon, J. Maximilian Dehling, Philipp Wagner, Colin R. Tilbury, Trisan South, Chifundera Kusamba, Eli Greenbaum
Zootaxa Vol. 5458 4, 2024, pp. 451-494
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5458.4.1

Photo: From top left to bottom right Rhampholeon boulengeri, Rhampholeon plumptrei, Rhampholeon nalubaale, Rhampholeon bombayi, Rhampholeon msitugrabensis und Rhampholeon monteslunae from the mentioned publication

Six new Rhampholeon species in Tanzania

Six new Rhampholeon species in Tanzania

by Alex Laube Neubeschreibungen Science

In the last 15 years, the number of known Rhampholeon species has doubled – not least because some species complexes “hid” numerous undescribed species. Scientists from Great Britain, Tanzania, and South Africa have now shed light on exactly such a case: the Rhampholeon uluguruensis/moyeri complex. The pygmy chameleons from this complex inhabit different habitats in the Eastern Arc Mountains, a 600 km long mountain range stretching from Kenya to Tanzania. The most striking feature of the genus Rhampholeon so far is that the described species differ only slightly in appearance, but occur in narrowly defined habitats that are usually completely isolated from each other. The authors studied pygmy chameleons from seven different locations in Tanzania. In the process, they were able to identify six new Rhampholeon species by means of genetic studies.

Rhampholeon colemani was named after the conservationist Carter Coleman. The species occurs in the Kitolomero Valley at about 1200 m a.s.l.. The valley is located in the Uzungwa Scarp Nature Reserve in the Udzungwa Mountains in the middle of Tanzania, about 350 km south-east of the capital Dodoma. What is special about this distribution area is that the already-known Rhampholeon moyeri also occurs in this reserve. It is still unclear whether the two species possibly live at different altitudes. Rhampholeon colemani grows up to 44 mm (TL) and is thus the second smallest of the Rhampholeon species described so far. The hemipenes of the males of these species could be described in detail. A characteristic feature of Rhampholeon colemani is the rostral appendage, which is at an angle of up to 59° to the snout or points slightly downwards. In all other terrestrial chameleons of the genus, the angle is much smaller, so the rostral appendage is rather straightforward.

Rhampholeon sabini was named in honour of Andy Sabin for his financial support and worldwide commitment to conservation. The species lives in Tanzania in the sub-montane rainforest of two neighbouring reserves, which are located in the north-east of the country about 250 km from the coastal city of Dar es Salaam. One of the habitats is the Nguu North Forest Reserve, the other the Kilindi Forest Reserve, both at an altitude of just over 1200 m above sea level. Rhampholeon sabini grows up to 54 mm, with the relative size of the head and tail appearing larger in relation to the rest of the body than in the other species.

Rhampholeon rubeho occurs on the mountains of the same name, the Rubeho Mountains, at about 1870 m a.s.l., located about 150 km east of the capital Dodoma. The rainforest inhabited by this species is mainly in the Mafwomero Forest Reserve. Rhampholeon rubeho grows up to 63 mm long. In addition, scientists currently count a population of earth chameleons in the Ilole Forest Reserve 50 km away, on the southern foothills of the Rubeho Mountains, as belonging to this species. However, this population has not yet been genetically studied.

Rhampholeon nicolai was named after the late Nicola Colangelo, a Tanzanian entrepreneur who promoted species conservation and sustainable resource use. Rhampholeon nicolai grows up to 60 mm long, and similar to R. sabini, the relative size of the head and tail in relation to the rest of the body appears larger than in the other species. Rhampholeon nicolai lives in the Ukaguru Mountains, just north of the Rubeho Mountains. It has been recorded in the three contiguous protected areas of Mamiwa Kisara North Forest Reserve, Mamiwa Kisara South Forest Reserve and the Ikwamba Forest Reserve at 1970 m altitude. A population of ground chameleons in nearby Mikuvi Forest is initially counted as part of the species, but its exact status has yet to be investigated.

Rhampholeon waynelotteri was given its name in honour of the murdered South African conservation activist Wayne Lotter, who was particularly active in the fight against elephant poaching. This pgymy chameleon grows up to 55 m tall. It inhabits Mount Kanga, about 120 km from the Indian Ocean coast. Mount Kanga is part of the Nguru Mountains, although the mountain is separated from the main massif by an 8 km wide lowland corridor and a river. Rhampholeon waynelotteri is described from the Kanga Forest Reserve at about 1280 m as well as de Mkingu Nature Reserve. In the latter, it occurs together with Rhampholeon acuminatus, from which it can be easily distinguished by its differently shaped rostral appendage and small appendages above the eyes. A pygmy chameleon population on Mount Nguru was initially attributed to Rhampholeon waynelotteri, but further research is pending.

Rhampholeon princeeai was named after the American artist and YouTuber Prince Ea. Rhampholeon princeeai lives at altitudes of 1870 m in the Mkingu Nature Reserve on the Nguru Mountains. Rhampholeon waynelotteri and Rhampholeon acuminatus also occur there. The species grows up to 46 mm long and has a special feature: the rostral appendage has a triangular shape when viewed from above. In addition, the species has a small depression in the inguinal region, which the other species studied so far do not have.

The already known species Rhampholeon uluguruensis was found exclusively in the Uluguru Nature Reserve and the Mkungwe Forest Reserve. Rhampholeon moyeri is found only in the Uzungwa Scarp Nature Reserve in the Udzungwa Mountains. Rhampholeon beraduccii is restricted to the Sali Forest Reserve in the Mahenge Mountains and Rhampholeon acuminatus, as anticipated, lives exclusively in the Mingu Nature Reserve in the Nguru Mountains.

Cryptic diversity in pygmy chameleons (Chamaeleonidae: Rhampholeon) of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania, with description of six new species
Michelle Menegon, John V. Lyakurwa, Simon P. Loader, Krystal A. Tolley
Acta Herpetologica 17 (2): 85-113, 2022
DOI: 10.36253/a_h-12978

Photo: Rhampholeon rubeho, from the above-mentioned publication