Rieppeleon brachyurus

Rieppeleon brachyurus, known commonly as the zomba pygmy chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern and southeastern Africa.

Rieppeleon brachyurus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
CITES Appendix II
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Chamaeleonidae
Genus:	Rieppeleon
Species:	R. brachyurus
Binomial name
Rieppeleon brachyurus (Günther, 1893)
Synonyms
Rhampholeon brachyurus Günther, 1893 Brookesia ionidesi Loveridge, 1951 Brookesia brachyura Loveridge, 1951 Rieppeleon brachyurus Matthee et al., 2004

Geographic range

R. brachyurus is found in Malawi, Mozambique, and southeastern Tanzania.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of R. brachyurus are savanna and forest, at altitudes of 100–2,300 m (330–7,550 ft).

Description

The maximum recorded total length (tail included) for R. brachyurus is 54 mm (2.1 in).

Reproduction

R. brachyurus is oviparous.

Further reading

• Günther A (1893). "Report on a Collection of Reptiles and Batrachians transmitted by Mr. H. H. Johnston, C.B., from Nyassaland". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1892: 555–558 + Plates XXXIII-XXXV. (Rhampholeon brachyurus, new species, p. 557 + Plate XXXIV, figures 2, 2a).
• Matthee, Conrad A.; Tilbury, Colin R.; Townsend, Ted (2004). "A phylogenetic review of the African leaf chameleons: genus Rhampholeon (Chamaeleonidae): the role of vicariance and climate change in speciation". Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Biological Sciences 271: 1967–1975. (Rieppeleon brachyurus, new combination).
• Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. ISBN 978-1472935618. (Rieppeleon brachyurus, p. 245).