Trioceros johnstoni
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Trioceros
Species:
T. johnstoni
Binomial name
Trioceros johnstoni
(Boulenger, 1901)
Synonyms[2]
  • Chamaeleon johnstoni
    Boulenger, 1901
  • Chamaeleo johnstoni
    — Laurent, 1951
  • Chamaeleo (Trioceros) johnstoni
    — Nečas, 1999
  • Trioceros johnstoni
    — Tilbury & Tolley, 2009

Trioceros johnstoni, known commonly as Johnston's chameleon, Johnston's three-horned chameleon, or the Ruwenzori three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae.[3] It is endemic to highlands in the Albertine Rift in central Africa.[1] It reaches up to 30 cm (12 in) in total length and only the adult male has three horns; females are hornless.[4]

Taxonomy and etymology

The three long annulated horns in the male T. johnstoni makes it superficially similar to T. jacksonii and T. werneri, and to extent also to the short-horned T. fuelleborni and the smooth-horned T. oweni,[4] but they are not close relatives.[5] Its nearest relative is the hornless T. ituriensis.[5]

The specific name johnstoni was given in honor of the British explorer Harry Johnston.[6][7]

Distribution and habitat

T. johnstoni is found in forests at altitudes between 1,000 and 2,500 m (3,300–8,200 ft) in the Albertine Rift of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, western Burundi, western Rwanda, and southwestern Uganda, but also tolerates semi-urbanized environments as long as some trees and bushes remain.[1]

Behaviour

Males of T. johnstoni are fiercely territorial and readily will fight other males, using their horns and biting.[4] T. johnstoni is oviparous, with the female laying 4–23 eggs per clutch.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tolley, K.; Plumptre, A. (2014). "Trioceros johnstoni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T172573A1345950. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172573A1345950.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ "Trioceros johnstoni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ↑ Tilbury, C.R. (2010). Chameleons of Africa: An Atlas, Including the Chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Frankfurt: Edition Chimaira.
  4. 1 2 3 Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.; Ashe, J. (2002). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 0-12-656470-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Hughes, D.F.; Blackburn, D.G. (2020). "Evolutionary origins of viviparity in Chamaeleonidae". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 58 (1): 284–302. doi:10.1111/jzs.12328.
  6. ↑ Boulenger, G. A. (1901). "Description of two new Chameleons from Mount Ruwenzori, British East Africa". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 2: 135–136, Plates XII-XIII.
  7. ↑ 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. (Trioceros johnstoni, p. 135).


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