Brookesia

Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, endemic to Madagascar, that range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons (though this name also commonly is used for species in the genera Rieppeleon and Rhampholeon). Brookesia includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus Brookesia are largely brown and most are essentially terrestrial.

Not to be confused with Brooksia, a genus of fungi, or Brookea, a genus of flowering plants in family Plantaginaceae

Brookesia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Subfamily: Brookesiinae
Genus: Brookesia
Gray, 1864
Type species
Chamaeleo superciliaris
Kuhl, 1820
Diversity
30 species

A significant percentage of the species in the genus were only identified to science within the last three decades, and a number of species that still have not received a scientific name are known to exist. Most inhabit very small ranges in areas that are difficult to access, and due to their small size and secretive nature, they have been relatively poorly studied compared to their larger relatives.

Brookesia are abundant in low-disturbance riparian zones[1] and low-disturbance rainforests. Brookesia are scarce in high-disturbance forests[2] recovering from burning.

Etymology

The generic name Brookesia is in honor of British naturalist Joshua Brookes.[3]

Conservation status

Most Brookesia are on CITES Appendix II, the only exception being B. perarmata on Appendix I (a species also listed as endangered by IUCN). Consequently, a special permit is required to import any of the below species from their native Madagascar, and typically no permit is issued for B. perarmata.

Species
Brookesia desperata female, stress-coloured, with two recently laid eggs.
Brookesia nana (male), the world's smallest reptile species
Males (left) and females (right) of four Brookesia species described in 2012, all belonging to the B. minima species group: A-B B. tristis, C-D B. confidens, E-F B. micra, G-H B. desperata[4]

The genus Brookesia contains the following 30 species which are recognized as being valid.[5]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Brookesia.

See also
  • Island dwarfism

References
  1. Jenkins, Richard K.B.; Brady, Lee D.; Bisoa, Michel; Rabearivony, Jeanneney; Griffiths, Richard A. (2003). "Forest disturbance and river proximity influence chameleon abundance in Madagascar". Biological Conservation. 109 (3): 407–415. doi:10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00166-0.
  2. Raxworthy, Christopher J.; Nussbaum, Ronald A. (1994). "A Rainforest Survey of Amphibians, Reptiles and Small Mammals at Montagne D'Ambre, Madagascar". Biological Conservation. 69: 65–73. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(94)90329-8. hdl:2027.42/31871.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michel (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Genus Brookesia, p. 40).
  4. Glaw F; Köhler J; Townsend TM; Vences M (2012). "Rivaling the World's Smallest Reptiles: Discovery of Miniaturized and Microendemic New Species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from Northern Madagascar". PLOS ONE. 7 (2): e31314. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031314. PMC 3279364. PMID 22348069.
  5. Genus Brookesia at The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org

Further reading
  • Gray JE (1864). "Revision of the Genera and Species of Chamæleonidæ, with the Description of some New Species". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 465-477 + Plates XXXI & XXXII. (Brookesia, new genus, pp. 476–477).
  • CITES: Appendices I, II and III. Accessed 23-01-2009.
  • Glaw F, Vences M (2007). A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition. Cologne, Germany: Vences & Glaw Verlag. 496 pp. ISBN 978-3-929449-03-7.
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