Rhampholeon tilburyi Branch, Bayliss, and Tolley, 2014 Mount Namuli Pygmy Chameleon

Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela B., Bayliss, Julian & Conradie, Werner, 2020, First herpetological surveys of Mount Lico and Mount Socone, Mozambique, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 247) 14 (2), pp. 198-217 : 207

Rhampholeon tilburyi Branch, Bayliss, and Tolley, 2014 Mount Namuli Pygmy Chameleon

Material. MOUNT SOCONE (top): BMNH: WC-6418, WC-6428, WC-6430–32, WC-6436, PEM R 24237–43, MHNM.Rep.2018.0008. Identification. Recently, Branch et al. (2014) described four new species of pygmy chameleons that are endemic to northern Mozambique montane forests, and Conradie et al. (2016) alluded to further overlooked cryptic diversity. Most species of Rhampholeon are morphologically very conservative and difficult to distinguish ( Branch et al. 2014). The closest match on GenBank is R. tilburyi from Mount Namuli (98% sequence similarity; AM 055681). This species was known to occur only on Mount Namuli, located 40 km northeast of Mount Socone. Rhampholeon tilburyi is a forest specialist, which suggests that in the past the forests of Mount Socone and Mount Namuli were probably connected. Comments. These pygmy chameleons were found 1–2 m above the ground, sleeping on low vegetation around the campsite at Mount Socone ( Fig. 4D ).

Figures

Fig. 4. Reptiles from Mount Lico and Mount Socone, northern Mozambique. (A) Agama kirkii; (B) A. mossambica; (C) Chamaeleo dilepis; (D) Rhampholeon tilburyi; (E) Trioceros melleri; (F) Platysaurus maculatus; (G) Lygodactylus sp.; (H) Melanoseps ater; (I) Panaspis aff. maculicollis; (J) Dasypeltis scabra; (K–L) Philothamnus macrops; (M–N) Naja subfulva; (O) Boaedon fuliginosus.