A new dwarf chameleon, genus Brookesia, from the Marojejy massif in northern Madagascar

By

Scherz, Mark D.
Köhler, Jörn
Rakotoarison, Andolalao
Glaw, Frank
Vences, Miguel

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2019

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

95

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

95--106

Subjects

Brookesia minima species group , Brookesia peyrierasi , Brookesia tedi sp. n , Chamaeleonidae , Marojejy National Park , miniaturisation , Squamata

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.95.32818

 

Abstract

We describe a new species of dwarf chameleon from theBrookesiaminimaspecies group.Brookesiatedisp. n.occurs above 1300 m above sea level on the Marojejy massif in northeastern Madagascar. It is genetically sister toB.peyrierasi, a species occurring in lowlands around the Baie de Antongil, but is genetically strongly divergent from that species in both nuclear (c-mos) and mitochondrial (16S, ND2) genes, and morphologically in its smaller size and distinctly different hemipenis. It is the second species of theB.minimaspecies group from Marojejy National Park, but is not known to occur in syntopy with the other species,B.karchei, due to elevational segregation.