''Calumma crypticum'', commonly known as the cryptic chameleon or blue-legged chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in 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 ...

Taxonomy

This species was first described in 2006 as ''Calumma crypticum'' by Raxworthy & Nussbaum, one of six new species from mountain regions of Madagascar. It is very similar to, and was previously included in, the short-horned chameleon (''Calumma brevicorne''), but in 2007, Boumans ''et al.'' confirmed that it was sufficiently genetically distinct to be considered a valid species.

Description

''Calumma crypticum'' grows to a length of about and has large flap-like lobes at the back of the head. The species is

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, the male having a longer snout with a horn-like protrusion on its upper surface, which the female lacks. As with other chameleon species, the colour is variable, depending on the colour of the surroundings, the ambient temperature, and variations in the level of light, but this species is usually quite colourful with rich browns, blues and greens, and the legs are often marked with blue.

Distribution and habitat

''Calumma crypticum'' 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 els ...

to eastern Madagascar where it is a mid-altitude species occurring between above sea level. Its range extends from the

Tsaratanana Massif Madagascar is a large island in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of southern Africa, east of Mozambique. It has a total area of with of land and of water. Madagascar is the fourth largest island and the 2nd largest island country ...

and the Ivakoany Massif. It is an arboreal species, living in humid forests; its distribution is patchy because of forest clearance on the central highlands between the mountain blocks, but there is a subpopulation around

Ambohitantely Ambohitantely Special Reserve is a wildlife reserve of Madagascar. Geography This reserve is situated in Analamanga region, north-west of the town of Antananarivo in the district of Ankazobe. It covers of primary rainforests and of grassland ...

in the central west of the island.

Status

This chameleon has a widespread distribution and occurs in a number of protected areas. Suitable habitat is being cleared for agriculture and the population is gradually declining, however the species is sufficiently common that 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 natur ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of

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. Th ...

. Calumma crypticum male 05.JPG, Male, Ranomafana Blue-legged chameleon (Calumma crypticum) female 2 Ranomafana.jpg, Female, Ranomafana

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2934422 crypticum Endemic fauna of Madagascar Reptiles described in 2006 Reptiles of Madagascar Taxa named by Ronald Archie Nussbaum Taxa named by Christopher John Raxworthy Fauna of the Madagascar subhumid forests