''Kinyongia vosseleri'', also known
commonly as the Usambara two-horned chameleon and Vosseler's blade-horned chameleon, is an
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
species of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
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
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
.
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 ...
, ''vosseleri'', is in honor of German zoologist
Julius Vosseler.
[ Beolens B, Watkins M, ]Grayson M
Grayson may refer to:
Places Canada
* Grayson, Saskatchewan
* Rural Municipality of Grayson No. 184, Saskatchewan
United States
* Grayson, California
* Grayson, Georgia
** Grayson High School
* Grayson, Kentucky
* Grayson, Louisiana
* Gray ...
(2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Kinyongia vosseleri'', p. 277).
Geographic range and habitat
''K. vosseleri'' is only found in
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' ...
s in the East
Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges of approximately long and about half that wide, are situated in the Lushoto District of the Tang ...
of Tanzania, at an altitude of .
Taxonomy
''K. vosseleri'' was formerly included in ''
K. fischeri'', which is not found in the range of ''K. vosseleri''.
[ Mariaux J, Lutzmann N, Stipala J (2008). "The two horned chameleons of East Africa". ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' 152: 367-391.]
References
Further reading
*
Nieden F (1913). "Chamaeleon fischeri ''
Rchw. und seine Unterarten'' ". ''Sitzungsberichte der Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde zu Berlin'' 1913 (4): 231–249 + Plates XIV–XVI. (''Chamaeleon fischeri vosseleri'', new subspecies, pp. 247–248 + Plate XV, figure 5, male; Plate XVI, figure 9, female). (in German).
*Spawls, Stephen; Howell. Kim; Hinkel, Harald; Menegon, Michele (2018). ''Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition''. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (''Kinyongia vosseleri'', p. 278).
*Tilbury, Colin (2010). ''Chameleons of Africa, an Atlas, including the chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia''. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 831 pp. . (''Kinyongia vosseleri'', p. 418).
Kinyongia
Reptiles of Tanzania
Endemic fauna of Tanzania
Reptiles described in 1913
Taxa named by Fritz Nieden
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