Rieppeleon brachyurus

Rieppeleon brachyurus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Genus:	Rieppeleon
Species:	R. brachyurus
Binomial name
Rieppeleon brachyurus (Günther, 1893)
Synonyms[2]
Rhampholeon brachyurus Günther, 1893 Brookesia ionidesi Loveridge, 1951 Brookesia brachyura — Loveridge, 1951 Rieppeleon brachyurus — Matthee et al., 2004

Rieppeleon brachyurus, known commonly as the zomba pygmy chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern and southeastern Africa.

Geographic range

R. brachyurus is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and southeastern Tanzania.[1][2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of R. brachyurus are savanna and forest, at altitudes of 100–2,300 m (330–7,550 ft).[1]

Description

The maximum recorded total length (tail included) for R. brachyurus is 54 mm (2.1 in).[2]

Reproduction

R. brachyurus is oviparous.[2]

References

1. Tolley K (2014). "Rieppeleon brachyurus ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172548A1345030.en. Accessed on 12 May 2024.
2. Species Rieppeleon brachyurus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

• Günther A (1893). "Report on a Collection of Reptiles and Batrachians transmitted by Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., from Nyassaland". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1892: 555–558 + Plates XXXIII-XXXV. (Rhampholeon brachyurus, new species, p. 557 + Plate XXXIV, figures 2, 2a).
• Matthee, Conrad A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Townsend, Ted (2004). "A phylogenetic review of the African leaf chameleons: genus Rhampholeon (Chamaeleonidae): the role of vicariance and climate change in speciation". Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences 271: 1967–1975. (Rieppeleon brachyurus, new combination).
• Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Rieppeleon brachyurus, p. 245).