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Nadzikambia
''Nadzikambia'' (derived from their name in Chichewa) is a genus of chameleons. It includes two species of small, plesiomorphic chameleons from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi and Mount Mabu in Mozambique. Initially only a single species was recognized and placed in ''Chamaeleo''. It was for some time moved to the South African dwarf chameleons (''Bradypodion'') by some (Klaver & Böhme, 1986). This was criticized because plesiomorphies cannot be used to define clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...s, and eventually turned out to be in error. In 2006, it was moved to its own genus ''Nadzikambia''. In 2010, the second species of ''Nadzikambia'' was described. (2010): A new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae: Nadzikambia) from Mount Mab ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mlanje Mountain Chameleon
The Mlanje Mountain chameleon (''Nadzikambia mlanjensis'') is one of two species in the genus ''Nadzikambia'' (derived from the species' name in Chichewa language, Chichewa). It is a plesiomorphic, small chameleon from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi. Initially placed into ''Chamaeleo'', it was for some time moved to the South African dwarf chameleons (''Bradypodion'') by some (Klaver & Böhme, 1986). This was criticized because plesiomorphies cannot be used to define clades, and eventually turned out to be in error.Tolley, Krystal A.; Tilbury, Colin R. & Branch, William R. (2004): Phylogenetics of the southern African dwarf chameleons, ''Bradypodion'' (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 30: 354–365.PDF fulltext References * (1986): Phylogeny and classification of the Chamaeleonidae (Sauria) with special reference to hemipenis morphology. ''Bonner Zoologische Monographien'' 22: 1–64. * (2007): Corrections to species nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Mabu Chameleon
The Mount Mabu chameleon (''Nadzikambia baylissi'') is one of two species in the genus ''Nadzikambia'' (derived from the species' name in Chichewa language, Chichewa). It is a small chameleon from Mount Mabu in Mozambique. References * (2010): A new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae: Nadzikambia) from Mount Mabu, central Mozambique. ''Afr. J. Herpetol.'' 59(2): 157–172. * http://www.chameleoninfo.com/Species_Profiles.html Endemic fauna of Mozambique Nadzikambia Reptiles described in 2010 Taxa named by William Roy Branch Taxa named by Krystal A. Tolley {{chameleon-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Mabu
Mount Mabu is a mountain in northern Mozambique, famous for its old-growth forest, old-growth rain forest. Mount Mabu is approximately high and the forest covers about . While well-known locally, the Mount Mabu forest and its extremely diverse flora and fauna were virtually unknown to science until 2005, when the location was finally visited by a team of researchers from the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust (MMCT), along with several Ornithology, ornithologists, and, in 2008, by scientists from Kew Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. The scientific expeditions were only made possible by finding the mountain's location on Google Earth's satellite-view, looking for potentially unknown wildlife hotspots in Africa. Thus, Mount Mabu is frequently referred to as the "Google Forest". It forms part of a proposed Ecoregions of Mozambique, ecoregion, to be called the "Southeast Africa Montane Archipelago" (SEAMA). Habitations There are communities living around Mount Mabu, the closest b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this Family (biology), family are best known for their distinct range of colours, being capable of colour-shifting camouflage. The large number of species in the family exhibit considerable variability in their capacity to change colour. For some, it is more of a shift of brightness (shades of brown); for others, a plethora of colour-combinations (reds, yellows, greens, blues) can be seen. Chameleons are also distinguished by their zygodactylous feet, their prehensility, prehensile tail, their laterally compressed bodies, their head casques, their projectile tongues used for catching prey, their swaying gait, and in some species crests or horns on their brow and snout. Chameleons' eyes are independently mobile, and because of this the chameleon’s brain is constantly analyzing two sepa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chamaeleo
''Chamaeleo'' is a genus of chameleons in the Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae. Most species of the genus ''Chamaeleo'' are found in sub-Saharan Africa, but a few species are also present in northern Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia east to India and Sri Lanka. Description Species in the genus ''Chamaeleo'' are slow moving, with independently movable eyes, the ability to change skin colouration, a long tongue, usually a prehensile tail, and special leg adaptations for grasping vegetation. Males are generally larger and more colorful than females. Almost all species have a maximum snout-vent length (SVL) between . Behavior The vast majority of ''Chamaeleo'' species are arboreal and typically found in trees or bushes, but a few species (notably the Namaqua Chameleon) are partially or largely Terrestrial animal, terrestrial. Reproduction The genus ''Chamaeleo'' includes only Oviparity, oviparous species. In captivity With few exceptions, the chameleons most commo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Dwarf Chameleon
''Bradypodion'' (meaning "slow-footed" in Greek language, Greek) is a genus of chameleons in the Family (biology), family Chamaeleonidae, collectively called South African dwarf chameleons. All species are found in South Africa and most are Endemism, endemic to this country, but a few can also be found in Eswatini, Lesotho, southernmost Namibia and possibly southernmost Mozambique. They are quite small chameleons where the different species often can be difficult to separate by appearance, although exact location (each species tends to have a rather small distribution) and the intense breeding colours of males are useful for their identification. They are arboreal, but some species are mostly found low in the vegetation. ''Bradypodion'' feed on small invertebrates, especially insects. They rapidly reach sexual maturity, typically at an age between half a year and one year, but sometimes up to two years. Adult males are Territory (animal), territorial. It is the only genus of chame ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taxa Named By Colin R
In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and given a particular Taxonomic rank, ranking, especially if and when it is accepted or becomes established. It is very common, however, for taxonomists to remain at odds over what belongs to a taxon and the criteria used for inclusion, especially in the context of rank-based ("Linnaean taxonomy, Linnaean") nomenclature (much less so under phylogenetic nomenclature). If a taxon is given a formal scientific name, its use is then governed by one of the nomenclature codes specifying which scientific name is correct for a particular grouping. Initial attempts at classifying and ordering organisms (plants and animals) were presumably set forth in prehistoric times by hunter-gatherers, as suggested by the fairly sophisticated f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lizard Genera
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic islands, oceanic Archipelago, island chains. The grouping is Paraphyly, paraphyletic as some lizards are more closely related to snakes than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Some lineages (known as "legless lizards") have secondarily lost their legs, and have long snake-like bodies. Some lizards, such as the forest-dwelling ''Draco (genus), Draco'', are able to glide. They are often Territory (animal), territorial, the males fighting off other males and signalling, often with bright colours, to attract mates and to intimidate rivals. Lizards are mainly carnivorous, often b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Roy Branch
William Roy "Bill" Branch (12 May 1946, London, England – 14 October 2018, Port Elizabeth, South Africa) was a British-South-African herpetologist. Branch studied at the University of Southampton where he remained until completing his Ph.D. degree (''Studies on a foetal-specific alpha-globulin FPin the rabbit'' ). From 1972 he worked as a scientist in the Life Sciences Division of the Atomic Energy Board in Pretoria doing research on, inter alia, liver cancer, but returned to the University of Southampton in 1976 to take up a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Biology studying the synthesis of chemicals in the liver of foetal rabbits. He started working at Port Elizabeth Museum in 1979 and retired in 2011, when he was appointed as Research Associate and Curator Emeritus. Over a period of almost 40 years he conducted field work in about 20 African countries and played a major role in building up the large reptile and amphibian collections at the Museum. Publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach to taxonomy adopted by most biological fields. The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or Extant taxon, extant). Clades are nested, one in another, as each branch in turn splits into smaller branches. These splits reflect evolutionary history as populations diverged and evolved independently. Clades are termed ''monophyletic'' (Greek: "one clan") groups. Over the last few decades, the cladistic approach has revolutionized biological classification and revealed surprising evolutionary relationships among organisms. Increasingly, taxonomists try to avoid naming Taxon, taxa that are not clades; that is, taxa that are not Monophyly, monophyletic. Some of the relationships between organisms that the molecul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
