Chamaeleo gracilis Hallowell, 1844

Santos, Bruna S., Marques, Mariana P., Bauer, Aaron M. & Ceríaco, Luis M. P., 2021, Herpetological results of Francisco Newton’s Zoological Expedition to Angola (1903 – 1906): a taxonomic revision and new records of a forgotten collection, Zootaxa 5028 (1), pp. 1-80 : 26

Chamaeleo gracilis Hallowell, 1844

Material (eight specimens): One adult female specimen (MHNCUP/REP 293, formerly UP-MHNFCP-094987; Fig. S48 ), collected from Hocco [-9.35422º, 14.89471º, 573 m a.s.l.] Kwanza Norte Province, by Captain Trigo Teixeira (offered to F. Newton) in 1904; three adult specimens (MHNCUP/REP 294–296, formerly UP-MHNFCP- 052205, 052203 and 017390 respectively), collected from unknown locality, date unknown; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/REP 299, formerly UP-MHNFCP-052201), collected from unknown locality, date unknown; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/REP 301, formerly UP-MHNFCP-095009), collected from Lucálla [= Lucala] [-9.27268º, 15.25206º, 708 m a.s.l.] Kwanza Norte Province, in August 1903 ; one adult specimen (MHNCUP/REP 302, formerly UP-MHNFCP-094979), collected from unknown locality, date unknown; one juvenile specimen (MHNCUP/REP 304), collected from Ambaca [-9.26667º, 15.18333º, 738 m a.s.l.] Kwanza Norte Province, date unknown .

Comments: Chamaeleo gracilis is commonly found throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the southernmost countries ( Tilbury 2018). Currently, it has two recognized subspecies, C. gracilis gracilis Hallowell, 1841 and C. gracilis etiennei Schmidt, 1919 . Ferreira (1904) noted two adult females of Chamaeleon gracilis from “Lembu, Serra de Selles” and “N’Dalla Tando” as well as two adults of modest dimensions (unspecified sex) from “Rio Luinha” ( Ferreira 1906). Among the extant specimens, MHNCUP/REP 294–296, REP 299 and REP 302 might correspond to the citations. Specimen MHNCUP/REP 293 was offered to Newton by Captain Trigo Teixeira, likely when the naturalist collected in fazenda Hôcco. Recent phylogenetic studies by Main (2019a) and Main et al. (2019b) recovered three cryptic species within C. gracilis : Clade 1 from the southern regions of West Africa; Clade 2 from the borderlands between Chad, the Republic of Cameroon and the Central African Republic and Clade 3 from the borderlands between Kenya and Tanzania. No material from Angola was accessed. Marques et al. (2018) has previously treated the Angolan specimens as C. gracilis etiennei , following Tilbury (2010). The author had referred to it as a subspecies, although noting that varietal status might be more appropriate, pending further research. As Main (2019a) did not analyze material from Angola, the taxonomic status of C. gracilis etiennei remains unaddressed.

Figures

FIGURE S48. Specimen of Chamaeleo gracilis (MHNCUP/REP 293), from Hocco. Photo by Bruna Santos.