''Brookesia therezieni'', also known as the Perinet leaf chameleon, 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 lizards in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 elsew ...

to 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 ...

. The

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

(IUCN) classed the species as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

. ''B. therezieni'' was initially described as a species new to science by Édouard-Raoul Brygoo and

Charles Antoine Domergue Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

in 1970.

Etymology

The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''therezieni'', is in honor of French hydrobiologist Yves Thérézien.

Distribution and habitat

Endemic to eastern Madagascar, ''Brookesia therezieni'' is found in the type locality of the species, Périnet, which is why it is known as the Perinet leaf chameleon. It is also found in the east-central area of Madagascar: An'Ala, Ankeniheny,

Andasibe Andasibe is a town and commune ( mg, kaominina) in Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Mananara Nord, which is a part of the region of Analanjirofo. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 7,960 in 2018. Agriculture ...

, Anjanaharibe, Mantadia, and Imerimandroso. It can be found at elevations between

above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, and is estimated to be found over an area of . Its preferred 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 ...

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. therezieni'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

Conservation status

The

has ranked ''B. therezieni'' as

on its

Red List of Threatened Species The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...

, as it is found on a too large area to be concerned about and evidence is insufficient to indicate the number of specimens is declining quickly. However, the population is declining and their numbers have decreased.

Taxonomy

''Brookesia therezieni'' was first described by Brygoo and Domerque in 1970. According to the

Integrated Taxonomic Information System The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is an American partnership of federal agencies designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagenc ...

, the taxonomic status of this species is valid.

Etymology

Distribution and habitat

Reproduction

Conservation status

Taxonomy

References

Further reading