Observation of reed bed use by Furcifer verrucosus ... · (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) in southwest...
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At least 80 species of chameleon are endemic to Madagascar (Mattison and Garbutt, 2012), of which the majority are restricted to natural forest formations (Raselimanana and Rakotomalala, 2003). Many species are habitat specialists occurring only within very restricted habitats or altitudinal bands, and micro- endemism is high within some groups (Raxworthy and Nussbaum, 2006; Glaw et al., 2012). Many species of Furcifer, however, are able to adapt to degraded and secondary habitats (Glaw and Vences, 2007) and a few species, such as Furcifer oustaleti and F. lateralis, are widespread throughout the island and occur in a range of habitat types, including non-forest areas (Raselimanana and Rakotomalala, 2003; Glaw and Vences, 2007). Furcifer verrucosus (Cuvier, 1829) is widely distributed throughout the dry regions of western and southern Madagascar, and is the most abundant chameleon in the Ranobe area of the south-west (Karsten et al., 2009). It is a habitat generalist, occurring in a range of habitats including forests, open areas of anthropogenic origin, and urban environments (Gardner and Jasper 2009; Karsten et al., 2009). Here I present an observation of the use of aquatic vegetation within a reed bed by this species, adding to our knowledge of its habitat use and highlighting the extreme nature of its habitat generalism. On 18.05.2012 at 09:24, I observed an adult female F. verrucosus in a reed bed at Lac Ranobe (23°01.4 S, 043°36.0 E), a lake and marsh complex 35km north of the city of Toliara, capital of Atsimo Andrefana region. Lac Ranobe has a surface area of 116 ha (WWF 2010), with approximately 75% of its surface composed of reed beds rather than open water (Thomas et al., 2006). The reed beds are dominated by vondro (Typha angustifolia L.), with dense stands of bararata (Phragmites mauritianus Kunth) and boaboky (family, genus and species unidentified) in shallower areas. I encountered the chameleon in an area of dense vondro adjacent to a channel (Fig. 1A), approximately 70m from the nearest shore. The animal was initially found on a submerged, horizontal vondro stem, with all four limbs submerged (Fig 1B), but climbed the vondro when disturbed. The animal was identified as a female F. verrucosus by the absence of a swollen area at the base of the tail (Fig. 1C). An information request circulated by email and keyword searches in the bibliographic databases Academic Search Complete and Web of Knowledge failed to generate any additional records of reed bed use by chameleons in Madagascar, although the species Chamaeleo dilepis and Bradypodion melanocephalum have been recorded in reeds in South Africa (Johan Marais pers. comm.). As far as I am aware, the observation presented here may therefore represent the first record in the literature of reed bed use by any wild chameleon in Madagascar, and confirms that F. verrucosus is an extreme habitat generalist amongst Madagascar’s chameleons. Acknowledgements. I thank Richard Jenkins for distributing an email request amongst members of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group, and Johan Marais for providing information on reed bed use by southern African chameleons. Richard Jenkins provided constructive comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript. References Gardner, C., Jasper, L. (2009): The urban herpetofauna of Toliara, southwest Madagascar. Herpetology Notes 2: 239-242. Glaw, F., Vences, M. (2007): A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, 3rd Edition. Köln, Vences and Glaw Verlags GbR. Glaw, F., Köhler, J., Townsend, T.M., Vences, M. (2012): Riva- ling the world’s smallest reptiles: discovery of miniaturized Herpetology Notes, volume 6: 21-22 (2013) (published online on 26 January 2013) Observation of reed bed use by Furcifer verrucosus (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) in southwest Madagascar Charlie Gardner *,1 1 Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of an- thropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbu- ry, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK, and WWF Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Programme Office, BP 738, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar; e-mail: [email protected] * Corresponding author
Transcript of Observation of reed bed use by Furcifer verrucosus ... · (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) in southwest...
At least 80 species of chameleon are endemic to Madagascar (Mattison and Garbutt, 2012), of which the majority are restricted to natural forest formations (Raselimanana and Rakotomalala, 2003). Many species are habitat specialists occurring only within very restricted habitats or altitudinal bands, and micro-endemism is high within some groups (Raxworthy and Nussbaum, 2006; Glaw et al., 2012). Many species of Furcifer, however, are able to adapt to degraded and secondary habitats (Glaw and Vences, 2007) and a few species, such as Furcifer oustaleti and F. lateralis, are widespread throughout the island and occur in a range of habitat types, including non-forest areas (Raselimanana and Rakotomalala, 2003; Glaw and Vences, 2007). Furcifer verrucosus (Cuvier, 1829) is widely distributed throughout the dry regions of western and southern Madagascar, and is the most abundant chameleon in the Ranobe area of the south-west (Karsten et al., 2009). It is a habitat generalist, occurring in a range of habitats including forests, open areas of anthropogenic origin, and urban environments (Gardner and Jasper 2009; Karsten et al., 2009). Here I present an observation of the use of aquatic vegetation within a reed bed by this species, adding to our knowledge of its habitat use and highlighting the extreme nature of its habitat generalism.
On 18.05.2012 at 09:24, I observed an adult female F. verrucosus in a reed bed at Lac Ranobe (23°01.4 S, 043°36.0 E), a lake and marsh complex 35km north of the city of Toliara, capital of Atsimo Andrefana region. Lac Ranobe has a surface area of 116 ha (WWF 2010), with approximately 75% of its surface composed of reed
beds rather than open water (Thomas et al., 2006). The reed beds are dominated by vondro (Typha angustifolia L.), with dense stands of bararata (Phragmites mauritianus Kunth) and boaboky (family, genus and species unidentified) in shallower areas. I encountered the chameleon in an area of dense vondro adjacent to a channel (Fig. 1A), approximately 70m from the nearest shore. The animal was initially found on a submerged, horizontal vondro stem, with all four limbs submerged (Fig 1B), but climbed the vondro when disturbed. The animal was identified as a female F. verrucosus by the absence of a swollen area at the base of the tail (Fig. 1C).
An information request circulated by email and keyword searches in the bibliographic databases Academic Search Complete and Web of Knowledge failed to generate any additional records of reed bed use by chameleons in Madagascar, although the species Chamaeleo dilepis and Bradypodion melanocephalum have been recorded in reeds in South Africa (Johan Marais pers. comm.). As far as I am aware, the observation presented here may therefore represent the first record in the literature of reed bed use by any wild chameleon in Madagascar, and confirms that F. verrucosus is an extreme habitat generalist amongst Madagascar’s chameleons.
Acknowledgements. I thank Richard Jenkins for distributing an email request amongst members of the IUCN/SSC Chameleon Specialist Group, and Johan Marais for providing information on reed bed use by southern African chameleons. Richard Jenkins provided constructive comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.
References
Gardner, C., Jasper, L. (2009): The urban herpetofauna of Toliara, southwest Madagascar. Herpetology Notes 2: 239-242.
Glaw, F., Vences, M. (2007): A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, 3rd Edition. Köln, Vences and Glaw Verlags GbR.
Glaw, F., Köhler, J., Townsend, T.M., Vences, M. (2012): Riva-ling the world’s smallest reptiles: discovery of miniaturized
Herpetology Notes, volume 6: 21-22 (2013) (published online on 26 January 2013)
Observation of reed bed use by Furcifer verrucosus (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) in southwest Madagascar
Charlie Gardner*,1
1 Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of an-thropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbu-ry, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK, and WWF Madagascar and Western Indian Ocean Programme Office, BP 738, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar; e-mail: [email protected]
* Corresponding author
Charlie Gardner22
and microendemic new species of leaf chameleons (Brookesia) from northern Madagascar. PLoS ONE 7: e31314.
Karsten, K.B., Andriamandimbiarisoa, L.N., Fox, S.F., Raxwor-thy, C.J. (2009): Population densities and conservation assess-ments for three species of chameleons in the Toliara region of south-western Madagascar. Amphibia-Reptilia 30: 341-350.
Mattison, C., Garbutt, N. (2012): Chameleons. London, Natural History Museum.
Raselimanana, A.P., Rakotomalala, D. (2003): Chamaeleonidae, Chameleons. In: The natural history of Madagascar, pp. 960-969. Goodman, S.M., Benstead, J.P., Eds., Chicago, The Uni-versity of Chicago Press.
Raxworthy, C.J., Nussbaum, R.A. (2006): Six new species of occipital-lobed Calumma chameleons (Squamata: Chamaele-onidae) from montane regions of Madagascar, with a new de-scription and revision of Calumma brevicorne. Copeia 2006: 711-734.
Thomas, H., Kidney, D., Rubio, P., Fanning, E. (2005): The Southern Mikea: A Biodiversity Survey. Frontier-Madagascar Environmental Research Report 12. London, Society for Envi-ronmental Exploration and Toliara, Institut Halieutique et des Sciences Marines.
WWF (2010): Plan de sauvegarde sociale et environnementale du PK32 Ranobe. Antananarivo, WWF MWIOPO.
Figure 1. A – Reed beds within Lac Ranobe, location of observed Furcifer verrucosus, B – Female F. verrucosus crossing a submerged, horizontal stem, with limbs clearly submerged, C – Female F. verrucosus climbing stem of Typha angustifolia following disturbance.
Accepted by Zoltan T. Nagy
![Genetic and Metabolic Variability between Two …Chamaeleonidae is composed of six genera, which include BradypodionBrookesia, , Calumma , Chamaeleo, Furcife, and Rhampholeon[3] .](https://static.fdocuments.us/doc/165x107/5f3d2679160c9449e83ff187/genetic-and-metabolic-variability-between-two-chamaeleonidae-is-composed-of-six.jpg)
