Brookesia valerieae

Brookesia valerieae is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar. It was first described by Raxworthy in 1991. The IUCN have classed this species as endangered, and it is affected by slash-and-burn agriculture. It is not a protected species.

Brookesia valerieae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Brookesia
Species:
B. valerieae
Binomial name
Brookesia valerieae
Raxworthy, 1991

Etymology

The specific name, valerieae, is in honor of Valerie M. Raxworthy.[2]

Geographic range

B. valerieae is endemic to the Manongarivo Special Reserve (Manongarivo Reserve) in the region of Diana, Madagascar, which is also the species' type locality.[3]

It has only been found at Manongarivo and the Ramena River, which are 7 km (4.3 mi) away from each other. If the species covers the whole area between the reserve and the river, it will be 2,589 km2 (1,000 sq mi) in area, but this has not been confirmed.[4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of B. valerieae is forest, at altitudes of 500–700 m (1,600–2,300 ft).[1]

Reproduction

B. valerieae is oviparous.[3]

Conservation status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature have classed B. valerieae as an endangered species on their Red List of Threatened Species, as the scale of habitat loss is very high in that area, and is mainly affected by the slash-and-burn method of agriculture.[1] B. valerieae has been used as part of the pet trade/industry. The species occurs in some reserves, but it is currently not a protected species.[1]

Taxonomy

B. valerieae was initially described by English herpetologist Christopher John Raxworthy in 1991. Since 1991, it has been published on under that name at least three times: Glaw and Vences (1994: 239), Nečas (1999: 277), and Townsend et al. (2009).[3] According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), the taxonomic status of the species is valid.[5]

References
  1. Jenkins RKB et al. (16 authors). "Brookesia valerieae ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Brookesia valerieae, p. 271).
  3. "Brookesia valerieae | The Reptile Database". Reptile-database.reptarium.cz. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  4. "Brookesia valerieae - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Eol.org. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  5. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Brookesia valerieae ". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-12.

Further reading
  • Glaw F, Vences M (2006). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition. Cologne, Germany: Vences and Glaw Verlag. 496 pp. ISBN 978-3929449-03-7.
  • Nečas P (1999). Chameleons: Nature's hidden jewels. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimira. 348 pp. ISBN 3-930612-04-6 (Europe), ISBN 1-57524-137-4 (USA, Canada). (Brookesia valerieae, p. 277).
  • Raxworthy CJ (1991). "Field observations on some dwarf chameleons (Brookesia spp.) from rainforest areas of Madagascar, with the description of a new species". Journal of Zoology, London 224: 11-25. (Brookesia valerieae, new species).
  • Townsend TM, Vieites DR, Glaw F, Vences M (2009). "Testing Species-Level Diversification Hypotheses in Madagascar: The Case of Microendemic Brookesia Leaf Chameleons". Systematic Biology 58 (6): 641–656.


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