''Brookesia peyrierasi'' is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of diminutive
chameleon, a
lizard in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Chamaeleonidae. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to north-eastern
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
. It is known commonly as Peyrieras's pygmy chameleon, named after the herpetologist
André Peyriéras.
Similar species
A 1999 paper in the ''
Journal of Zoology'' disputed a 1995 paper which considered this species and ''
B. tuberculata'' to be the same species as ''
B. minima''. The later paper discussed the same details as the first – subtle
morphological differences in the
hemipenis
A hemipenis (plural hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes, lizards and worm lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like ...
es of the respective species and determined they were not conspecific. They also found differences in the arrangement of head crests and in minute spines above the eyes.
[Glaw F, Vences M, Ziegler T, Böhme W, Köhler J (1999). "Specific distinctness and biogeography of the dwarf chameleons ''Brookesia minima, B. peyrierasi'' and ''B. tuberculata'' (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae): evidence from hemipenial and external morphology"]
''Journal of Zoology'' 247 (2): 225-238.
Habitat
The natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''B. peyrierasi'' is
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
.
[
]
Reproduction
''B. peyrierasi'' is oviparous.[. www.reptile-database.org.]
References
Further reading
* Brygoo E-R, Domergue CA (1975). "''Notes sur les ''Brookesia'' de Madagascar. IX. Observations sur ''B. tuberculata'' Mocquard, 1894, ''B. ramanantsoai sp. nov.'' et ''B. peyrierasi nom. nov.'' (Reptilia, Squamata, Chamaeleontidae)''". ''Bulletin du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris'' 189 (276): 1769–1782. (''Brookesia peyrierasi'', new species). (in French).
* Glaw F, Vences M (1994). ''A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition''. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag / Serpents Tale. 480 pp. . (''Brookesia peyrierasi'', p. 235).
*Klaver C, Böhme W (1997). "Chamaeleonidae". ''Das Tierreich'' 112: xiv + 1-85.
*Martin J (1992). ''Masters of Disguise: A Natural History of Chameleons''. New York: Facts On File, Inc.
*Nečas P (1999). ''Chameleons: Nature's Hidden Jewels''. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company.
P
Endemic fauna of Madagascar
Reptiles of Madagascar
Endangered fauna of Africa
Reptiles described in 1974
Taxa named by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo
Taxa named by Charles Domergue
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