The Common Chameleon in Belezma (Algeria)

The Belezma Biosphere Reserve was only established in 2015 and is located in the province of Batna in northern Algeria. It covers an area of 262 km² in the Belezma Mountains and lies at altitudes between 915 and 2136 metres above sea level. The terrain consists of Mediterranean cedar, pine and oak forests, typical scrubland (so-called maquis), cliffs and only seasonal watercourses (so-called oueds); around 53 km² consist of cedar forest. So far, there have only been a few publications on the herpetofauna there. A recent overview study of the amphibians and reptiles found there has now been compiled by biologists from the University of Batna.

The animals were searched for visually only. Various people walked transects unsystematically both during the day and at night, for a total of 500 hours at 28 locations within the reserve. The animals found were either identified directly or photographed and released.

A total of 23 amphibian and reptile species were found and identified. Chamaeleo chamaeleon was identified for the first time in Belezma. The chameleons were found at around 1040 metres in the characteristic shrublands and at 1280 metres in open terrain. The maquis in Belezma consists mainly of oak and olive trees as well as mastic bushes and Phoenician juniper.

Herpetofauna of Belezma Biosphere Reserve, province of Batna, northeastern Algeria
Messaoud Saoudi, Mohamed Bensaci, Abdeldjabar Necer, Houria Baazi, Zohra Nemili, Farouk Khelfaoui
African Journal of Biological Sciences 6 (15), 2024
DOI: 10.48047/AFJBS.6.15.2024.10672-10700

New distribution record for Kinyongia magomberae

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

Scientists from Tanzania and England recently carried out a survey study of the herpetofauna in the Kimboza forest. Kimboza is located in eastern Tanzania on the edge of the Eastern Arc Mountains, a 600 km long mountain range. To the west of Kimboza are the Uluguru Mountains, to the east the Ruvu Reserve. Kimboza is one of the smallest reserves in Tanzania with an area of only 4 km². It ranges in altitude from 170 to 480 metres.

To detect reptiles and amphibians, manual searches were carried out on two nights in December and January and for eleven consecutive months between December and June. In addition, bucket traps were placed in the ground along two lines, a total of between 11 and 20 buckets at a distance of 5 metres from each other. The animals found were identified morphologically using existing field guides. Samples were taken from 12 finds in order to genetically confirm the species identification.

A total of 42 different reptile species and 29 amphibian species were recorded in Kimboza. As expected, Trioceros melleri, Rieppeleon brevicaudatus and Chamaeleo dilepis were among the known chameleons of the forest. However, the study also revealed something astonishing: Kinyongia magomberae, actually known from the forest of Magombera and from the lowlands of the Udzungwa Mountains National Park, was found there. This corresponds to an extension of the distribution area of this species of 128 km. In a study from 1994, Kinyongia oxyrhina is already mentioned once in Kimboza. Even then it could have been a case of confusion and actually a Kinyongia magomberae. The species may have been much more widespread in the past than it is today. However, as the lowland rainforests of Tanzania have been extensively deforested for many decades, the chameleon’s habitat has been greatly reduced – and could have led to the spread of a species in forest areas that are no longer contiguous today.

Kimboza, a small lowland forest with an outstanding herpetofauna diversity in east Africa
John V. Lyakurwa, Simon P. Loader, Wilirk Ngalason, Rikki Gumbs, Caleb Ofori-Boateng, H. Christoph Liedtke
Nature Notes 14(10), 2024
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70406

Picture: Kinyongia magomberae, photographed by Andrew R Marshall in Mwanihana forest, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

Occurrence of the European chameleon in Tlemcen (Algeria)

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

The 21.6 km² Tlemcen Hunting Reserve is located in the north of Algeria, in the province of the same name. The climate is Mediterranean, the province borders the Alborán Sea (the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea) and lies directly opposite south-east Spain. The reserve is located around 26 kilometres southwest of the city of Tlemcen, the second largest city in Algeria, and spans the highest areas of the Tlemcen Mountains.

A local veterinarian and biologist recently carried out a survey study of the animals currently found in the reserve. In order to investigate the herpetofauna, manual searches or traps were set along measured transects. Chamaeleo chamaeleon was found several times during the study.

Inventory of wildlife in the Tlemcen Hunting Reserve
Rafiq Rahmouni, Louiza Derouiche
Genetics and Biodiversity Journal 8(2), 2024
DOI: not available

Picture: Chamaeleo chameleon, photographed by Peter A. Mansfeld, licence Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported

New modelling of species loss in Madagascar

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

For some time now, there have been various programmes and algorithms that can make various predictions about how many species in a country or region could be threatened with extinction in the future based on given data. Until now, this has always required a whole series of locations and data for the respective animal species as a basis. However, these are often not available for rare species.

Italian scientists have now developed an algorithm called ENphylo, which can make predictions from just two observations per species. It was tested in parallel to conventional algorithms on a model with 56 chameleon species from Madagascar. The occurrence and locations of the chameleons were taken from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Various scenarios of climate change and progressive changes in land use were modelled using CHELSA and other databases for the period between 2071 and 2100. For each of the chameleon species, 45 modelled predictions were calculated in the study.hnet.

As a result, the scientists predict a habitat loss of over 90% for the species Brookesia decaryi, Brookesia brunoi, Calumma globifer, Brookesia desperata, Brookesia karchei, Brookesia micra, Brookesia tristis, Calumma amber, Calumma guibei, Calumma ambreense, Calumma nasutum, Calumma fallax, Calumma peltierorum, Calumma boettgeri, Furcifer petteri and Furcifer willsii. As a result, these species would be directly threatened with extinction by 2100 due to climate change and changes in land use in Madagascar. The greatest area losses in potential habitats are expected in the dry forests of the west and north-west and the lowland rainforests of the east coast. The potential habitat loss is also expected to affect species that only occur in a very small distribution area but are very common there, such as Brookesia tuberculata.

An increasing development of the habitat is only assumed for Furcifer oustaleti, Furcifer rhinoceratus, Calumma parsonii (unfortunately without indication of the subspecies), Calumma oshaughnessyi, Calumma crypticum, Calumma brevicorne and Brookesia supericilaris. According to the various calculation models, Madagascar could lose between eight and eleven chameleon species by the year 2100.

Modelling reveals the effect of climate and land use change on Madagascar’s chameleons fauna
Alessandro Mondanaro, Mirko di Febbraro, Silvia Castiglione, Arianna Morena Belfiore, Girogia Girardi, Marina Melchionna, Carmela Serio, Antonella Esposito, Pasquale Raia
Communications Biology 7, 2024: 889
DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06597-5

Photo: Calumma crypticum in Ranomafana, Madagascar, photographed by Alex Laube

The flap-necked chameleon on Serra da Neve (Angola)

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

The Serra da Neve inselberg is located in the province of Namibe in south-west Angola on the south-western edge of Africa. At 2489 metres above sea level, it is the second highest mountain in the country. The isolated location in the middle of savannahs makes the inselberg a refuge for biodiversity, but this has so far been poorly researched concerning herps. Scientists from the USA, Portugal and Germany have recently carried out a first survey study to inventory the amphibians and reptiles of the Serra da Neve.

Three expeditions have been carried out since 2016, each lasting a few days. Eight areas were selected to search for animals, including rocky areas as well as forest, open grassland and various altitudes. Pitfall traps, snares, rubber bands and manual searches by day and night were used to find the animals. The individuals found were all killed and prepared for storage and further examination in the museum.

A total of 59 species of reptiles and amphibians were found on the inselberg. Chamaeleo dilepis was found exclusively around the village of Catchi, located at 1590 metres. The village is surrounded by granite rocks and the Miombo forest area, which is dominated by Brachystegia and Julbernardia trees. The flat parts of the plateau surrounding the village are largely deforested. The land is used for grazing cattle or for growing cereals and maize. However, the steep slopes around the village are still forested. A small river also runs through the plateau.

An island in a sea of sand: A first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Serra da Neve inselberg, southwestern Angola
Mariana P. Marques, Diogo Parrinha, Manuel Lopes-Lima, Arthur Tiutenko, Aaron M. Bauer, Luis M. P. Ceríaco
ZooKeys 1201, 2024: pp. 167-217.
DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1201.120750

Photo: taken from the aforementioned publication

Potential new distribution areas of the European chameleon

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

The European chameleon (Chamaeleo chameleon) was historically found in some small areas of the Mediterranean and Central Asia. Today, however, it is much more widespread. It is now assumed that the animals were brought to their new distribution areas by humans and were able to reproduce there due to the favourable climatic conditions. Scientists have now investigated where there are further suitable habitats for the European chameleon and how the existing populations could develop over the next 50 years.

The three subspecies studied were Chamaeleo chamaeleon chamaeleon, Chamaeleo chamaeleon musae and Chamaeleo chamaeleon reticrista. The former is known from the southern edge of Portgual and Spain as well as from southern Italy, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia, the western Sahara and Yemen. The second subspecies is currently found in Jordan, Israel and Egypt. The third subspecies occurs between Greece and Turkey, in Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Syria, but is actually native to northern Africa and the Middle East. It was probably introduced by people in southern Spain and Portgual, but is now considered a native species there.

For the study, the existing literature, sampling by the author himself, OpenStreetMaps and information from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) were used, statistically processed and analysed. Climate, topography, habitat of the sites and connections of existing populations were used to predict potentially suitable new habitats.

A total of 553 Chamaeleo chamaeleon findings were included in the study. 22% of the finds could be assigned to urban areas, 21% to scrubland and 18% to agricultural land. Most of the finds were made at altitudes of 0 to 100 metres above sea level. Not surprisingly, the areas currently colonised by Chamaeleo chamaeleon proved to be very suitable habitat. Potential well-suited new distribution areas in the future could be the Iberian Islands between Murcia and the Algarve in Portugal, Sicily, Calabria, Apulia and Sardinia in Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, the region between Israel and Lebanon in the Middle East, Cyprus and all coasts and islands of the Aegean Sea. Overall, a progressive increase in all existing habitats of the European chameleon is expected over the next 50 years. The only exceptions to this are probably some regions in Tunisia and Turkey. Further habitat losses are assumed on the Aegean coast in Turkey and Israel. In Spain and Portgual, the distribution area could shift westwards.

Habitat suitability and connectivity modelling predict a latitudinal-driven expansion in the Mediterranean basin for a historically introduced reptile
Davide Serva, Viviana Cittadino, Ilaria Bernabò, Maurizio Biondi, Mattia Iannella
European Journal of Wildlife Resarch 70 (27), 2024
DOI: 10.1007/s10344-024-01780-9

The two graphics are both from the publication mentioned.

New hope for Calumma tarzan

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

Calumma tarzan, the Tarzan chameleon, was only described in 2010. It was named after the place where it was found, Tarzanville, a small village in the Anosibe An’Ala region in the centre-east of Madagascar. Due to the previously assumed very small distribution area, the species was immediately classified as “critically endangered” on the IUCN Red List.

In 2020 and 2021, Malagasy scientists searched for the species in many other places in eastern Madagascar – and promptly found it, as a recent publication reports. They searched 46 transects, each one kilometre long, in 23 different forest fragments. A further 28 transects, each 200 metres long, were examined in order to assess the population density. Calumma tarzan was found in 14 of the 23 forest fragments analysed. None of these occurrences were previously known. The species occurred at altitudes of 604 to 1048 metres. Population density estimates varied greatly. In some areas there are only 25 chameleons per hectare, in others more than three times as many, namely 78.

Only a few of the forest fragments are currently protected. This study therefore emphasises how urgent it is to establish further protected areas in Madagascar’s eastern rainforests. This is the only way to save the Tarzan chameleon.

New distribution records and population density of the critically endangered Tarzan chameleon (Calumma tarzan), eastern Madagascar
Alain J.V. Rakotondrina, Raphali R. Andriantsimanarilafy, Hanta J. Razafimanahaka, Achille P. Raselimanana, Rikki Gumbs, Caleb Ofori-Boateng, Jody M. Taft, Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina
African Journal of Herpetology, 2024
DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2023.2291358

Chameleons in Bobaomby (Madagascar)

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

The Bobaomby complex is located at the northernmost tip of Madagascar, north and west of the largest coastal town in the north, Antsiranana (Diego Suarez in French). It consists of dry forest at sea level up to a maximum of 200 metres above sea level as well as extensive savannahs on karst rock and various rock formations. The area has not been protected to date.

Scientists from Madagascar conducted reptile counts in the Bobaomby complex in 2018. The counts were carried out in February and March, i.e. during the rainy season. Five different locations were analysed: Beantely, Antsisikala and Ambanililabe as examples of varying degrees of degraded dry forest, Anjiabe for its intact dry forest and Ampombofofo with relatively intact forest. To find animals, the visual survey was used on 25 days during the day and at night in selected transects, sometimes specifically in suitable habitats such as leaf axils or under dead tree trunks, and pitfall traps along erected fences were also used.

A total of 42 reptile species have been recorded. All of them, except one gecko species, originally only occur on Madagascar, while two other gecko species are now also found on neighbouring islands. There is a small novelty among the chameleons: the leaf chameleon Brookesia ebenaui was recorded for the first time in Bobaomby, more precisely in Beantely. Brookesia stumpffi and Furcifer petteri were found in Beantely, Anjiabe and Ampombofofo. Furcifer pardalis and Furcifer oustaleti occurred as expected throughout the whole Bobaomby complex.

The authors suggest that the Bobaomby complex – especially the three forests where most of the reptiles were found – should be protected to preserve the local herpetofauna.

Overview of reptile diversity from Bobaomby complex, northern tip of Madagascar
Randriamialisoa, Raphali R. Andriantsimanarilafy, Alain J. Rakotondrina, Josué A. Rakotoarisoa, Nasaina T. Ranaivoson, Jeanneney Rabearivony, Achille P. Raselimanana
Animals 13: 3396, 2023
DOI: 10.3390/ani13213396

Photo: Furcifer petteri, male, in the north of Madagascar, photographed by Alex Laube

The Indian Chameleon in Solapur (India)

by Alex Negro Verbreitung Science

It has long been known that the Indian chameleon occurs in Maharashtra. A recently published survey study has even found evidence of it in an area near Solapur that is covered only with grass and bushes.

The area studied is a 15 km² area of semi-arid grassland around a site earmarked for an airport at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres. The nearest village is Boramani, a small town just outside the city of Solapur in the state of Maharashtra in western India. For one year, about half of the grassland was surveyed four times a month for the presence of reptiles. Squares of 50 metres x 50 metres were laid out, each at least 300 metres apart. Each observation period consisted of five hours and only observations with the naked eye.

During the study period, 888 individuals of 14 different reptile species were recorded. Of these, more than 300 were Sitana laticeps, a fan-throated lizard. Among the species found were two Chamaeleo zeylanicus. The activity of the lizards increased from March, stabilised during the monsoon season in June-July and then declined again from August.

The authors argue in favour of protecting the grassland area due to the existing biodiversity. This should prevent the construction of the airport and thus the disappearance of the habitat.

Ecology of lizards in an ecologically significant semi-arid grassland patch near Solapur, Maharashtra, India
Mahindrakar Yogesh Y., Waghmare Akshay M., Hippargi Rajshekhar V.
International Journal of Zoological Investigations 9 (2) 2023, pp. 210-223
DOI: 10.33745/ijzi.2023.v09i02.022

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

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