Labord's chameleon

Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi ) is a semelparous species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.

Labord's chameleon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Furcifer
Species:
F. labordi
Binomial name
Furcifer labordi
(Grandidier, 1872)
Synonyms[2]
  • Chamaeleo labordi
    Grandidier, 1872
  • Chamaeleo barbouri
    Heckenbleikner, 1942
  • Furcifer labordi
    — Glaw & Vences, 1994

Etymology

The specific name, labordi, is in honor of French adventurer Jean Laborde.[3]

Geographic range

Laborde's Chameleon is associated with spiny and deciduous forests in the south-west regions of Madagascar.[4]

Life cycle

Like other Furcifer species (F. antimena, F. lateralis), F. labordi has an obligate year-long lifecycle. It lives for only about 4 to 5 months, making it the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four-legged vertebrate.[5][6] In their natural habitat, eggs hatch with the first rains in November, the growth is rapid, and adulthood is reached by January, at which time they breed. By late February or early March, females have deposited the eggs which will hatch the next year, and the entire population dies until the next hatching. No other tetrapod has exhibited such a short lifespan.[7][8]

In captivity

In captivity, eggs of F. labordi have hatched after 4 months of incubation at 26 °C (79 °F). Juveniles grow very rapidly, reaching adulthood after 3 months. Females that were properly fed grew with eggs and a vivid coloration, whereas females that were fed a less caloric diet grew thinner and only showed a green coloration.

References
  1. Jenkins RKB, Andreone F, Andriamazava A, Anjeriniaina M, Brady L, Glaw F, Griffiths RA, Rabibisoa N, Rakotomalala D, Randrianantoandro JC, Randrianiriana J, Randrianizahana H, Ratsoavina F, Robsomanitrandrasana E (2011). "Furcifer labordi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T8765A12929754. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-2.RLTS.T8765A12929754.en.
  2. "Furcifer labordi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. 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. (Furcifer labordi, p. 149).
  4. Davies, Ella (2011-02-21). "Labord's chameleons of Madagascar live fast, die young". BBC Earth News. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  5. Karsten KB, Andriamandimbiarisoa LN, Fox SF, Raxworthy CJ (2008). "A unique life history among tetrapods: An annual chameleon living mostly as an egg" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (26): 8980–8984. doi:10.1073/pnas.0802468105. PMC 2449350. PMID 18591659.
  6. Natural history: Nasty, brutish and short (subscription required).
  7. Karsten, Kristopher B.; Andriamandimbiarisoa, Laza N.; Fox, Stanley F.; Raxworthy, Christopher J. (2008-06-30). "A unique life history among tetrapods: An annual chameleon living mostly as an egg". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (26): 8980–8984. doi:10.1073/pnas.0802468105. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 2449350. PMID 18591659.
  8. Eckhardt, Falk; Kappeler, Peter M.; Kraus, Cornelia (2017). "Highly variable lifespan in an annual reptile, Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi )". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 11397. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11701-3. PMC 5595997. PMID 28900276.

Further reading
  • Grandidier A (1872). "Descriptions de quelques Reptiles nouveaux découverts à Madagascar en 1870 ". Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Cinquième Série [Fifth Series], Zoologie et Paléontologie 15 (20): 6-11. ("Chamæleo Labordi ", new species, p. 7). (in French).


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