Andasibe Nosed Chameleon

About the Andasibe Nosed Chameleon

Calumma nasutum, the Madagascar pimple-nose chameleon, is a small species of chameleon found in Madagascar. The taxonomic identity of the species is currently uncertain and in need of revision, and this revision is likely to result in several newly described species. Several different data sets indicate that C. nasutum is a complex of several species.

Calumma nasutum belongs to the so-called "C. nasutum species group" within the genus Calumma. This group is a phenetic one, and has been reconstructed by some studies as being polyphyletic, but the species are unified by their small size and possession of a soft dermal appendage at the front of the nose ("rostral appendage"). The group currently consists of C. nasutum, C. fallax, C. gallus, C. vohibola, C. vatosoa, C. radamanus, C. peyrierasi, C. boettgeri, and C. linotum.

The big-nosed chameleon, which is one of the smallest arboreal chameleons usually with a total body length of 11 cm. It gets its name from the huge, paddle-like appendage that protrudes from the nasal region. It is thought that males have a larger, more square-shaped version of this flexible appendage, which is employed for identifying... Wikipedia →