''Kinyongia matschiei'', common name giant monkey-tailed east Usambara two-horned chameleon, giant east Usambara blade-horned chameleon, and Matschie's two-horned 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
chameleon
Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...
from the East
Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. It was formerly confused with ''
K. fischeri'', which is not found in the range of ''K. matschiei''.
[Mariaux J, Lutzmann N, Stipala J. 2008. The two horned chameleons of East Africa. ''Zool. J. Linn. Soc.'' 152: 367-391.]
Distribution
This species lives only at altitudes of up to 1500 metres over a total of 800 km2 of isolated Afrotemperate forest areas in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. The actual area of occupancy, however, is under 300 km2. Its numbers are declining. It is not found in transformed areas such as plantations.[ The related '' K. vosseleri'' occurs in the same range as ''K. matschiei'', while '' K. multituberculata'' is found in the West Usambaras.][
]
References
External links
Kinyongia
Lizards of Africa
Endemic fauna of Tanzania
Reptiles of Tanzania
Reptiles described in 1895
Taxa named by Franz Werner
{{chameleon-stub