Chamaeleo chamaeleon ( Linnaeus, 1758:204 )

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 188-190

Chamaeleo chamaeleon ( Linnaeus, 1758:204) ( FIG . 15)

1758 Lacerta chamaeleon Linnaeus , Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae [Stockholm], Sweden. (4) + 823 + (I) pp.

SYNTYPES.— NRM 140, 141 fide Andersson (1900), UUZM 34, 93 fide Wallin (2001), “Africa, Asia,” restricted to “Nordafrika” by Mertens and Müller (1940). Klaver and Böhme (1997) stated the types were unlocated and associated them with specimens figured by Seba (1734) on pl. 82, figs. 2, 4 and 5. However, Linnaeus (1758) also provided indications to works by Aldrovandi, Gronovius, Olearius, Besler, Valentini, Jonstonus, Bellonius, Kircher, and Hasselquist (see Bauer 2012 for citations to the relevant works) as well as his own earlier publications ( Linnaeus 1749, 1754), so there were numerous syntypes, deriving from several different species of chameleons.

Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Le Berre 1989:142 .

Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:312 .

Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:173 .

Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:186 .

DISTRIBUTION.— North Africa from Western Sahara to Egypt, around the eastern Mediterranean to coastal regions of the Asian portion of Turkey, and into the Arabian Peninsula, particularly along the southern Red Sea. Introduced into the Iberian Peninsula, Apulia ( Italy) Malta, and Crete ( Paulo et al. 2002; Sindaco et al. 2006a; Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008) as well as Madeira ( Wagner et al. 2012). In Libya they are distributed along the coast, with inland records chiefly associated with oases.

Libyan Records (Map 12): TRIPOLITANIA: NUQAT AL KHAMS: 4: UMNH 4242. 5: MNHN 1966.1097. ZAWIYAH: 11: BMNH 1964.2076; Frynta et al. 2000. 12: ZMB 39328–29. 22: MCSN 1931, 1936. 23: NMBA-REPT 15358. JAFARA:

32: MZUT R672. TRIPOLI: 38: Sayers 1964. 39:

NMV D 2303; USNM 146806. 42: MZUT

R671, R1300, R1310; Zavattari 1937. 44:

Werner 1909. 45: AMNH R 125707; BMNH

xxv.3.i; MCSN 1938; MNHN 1976.368;

MZUT R1348–49; NHMW 2411, 7450, 7456,

7458–59, 37691; SMF 16164-66, 24969; ZMB

15281–87, 15331, 15340; ZSM 222/1975,

2446–47; Gray 1845; Boulenger 1887; König

1888; Condorelli Francaviglia 1896; Werner

1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934; Sayers

1964. 48a: MZUT R1309. MURQUB: 60: Peters

1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934. 64: ZMB 17901. 68: BMNH

1913.12.30. 16; Andreucci 1913; Boulenger

1914; Zavattari 1934. MISRATAH: 80:

Boulenger 1914; Zavattari 1934. 81: Boulenger MAP 12. Distribution of Chamaeleo chamaeleon in Libya..

1914. NALUT: 101: AIC no number provided;

Ibrahim and Ineich 2005. 105: AIC no number provided; MNHN 2004.0087, 2004.0092; Ibrahim and Ineich 2005. JABAL AL GHARBI: 141: ZSM 246/1926. 154: MZUT R1333; Andreucci 1913; Scortecci 1937a; Zavattari 1934. SIRTE: 166: MCSN 1926. “ Tripolitania ”: SMNS 270. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937. FEZZAN: JUFRA: 216: Peters 1880, 1881; Werner 1909;

Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934. 217: MWNH 1674; Zavattari 1937. 218: MCSN 1934; Scortecci 1937a. 226: MCSN 1903; Scortecci 1935b, 1937a,b. “ Sahara Tripolitano ”: Werner 1911; Zavattari 1934. CYRENAICA: BENGHAZI: 357: SMF 34459, 35556, 36183; SMNS 1413; ZSM 162/1983; von Martens 1883; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923. 367: MZUT R678; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 372: Frynta et al. 2000. 377: NMV D 2304. MARJ: 385: MCSN 1929; NMV D 2305; Zavattari 1937. 407: Zavattari 1929, 1930. 457aa: Schleich 1987. 457ag: Schleich 1987. 457ah: Schleich 1987. 457z: Schleich 1987. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 417: Ghigi 1920; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923. 419: Frynta et al. 2000. 425: ZSM 114/1983; Schleich 1987. 430: MZUT R652; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Schleich 1987. 431: BMNH 1965.1188. 433: Cornalia in Haimann 1882, 1886; Werner 1909; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 434: FMNH 214950; Resetar 1981. 445: Schleich 1987. 447: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930. 457: KNP 1981/174–175, 1983/428; MCZ R 56041–42; ZSM 115/1983, 416/1997; Schleich 1987. 457ak: Schleich 1987. 457al: Schleich 1987. 457am: Schleich 1987. 457ap: Schleich 1987. 457aq: Schleich 1987. 457ar: Schleich 1987. 457au: Schleich 1987. 457bm: Schleich 1987. 457bo: Schleich 1987. 457by: Schleich 1987. 457cm: Schleich 1987. 457l: Schleich 1987. 457n: Schleich 1987. 457p: Schleich 1987. 457w: Schleich 1987. 457x: Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 460: NHMC 80.3.91.2, 80.3.91.9. 466: SMF 34410; SMF 35992; Ghigi 1920; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931. 469: Zavattari 1930, 1934. 474: MCSN 1927; Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 484: MZUT R1318; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. BUTNAN: 487: SMF 33777. 490: MSNG 28194; Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923; Vinciguerra 1927; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931. 505: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931. 511: ZSM 113/1983. 521: MSNG 28193; Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931. AL WAHAT: 529: NMP 34931/1–3; NMP 34931; Moravec 1995. 540: ZSM 116/1983. 553: MCSN 1904; Desio 1931; Zavattari 1934, 1937; Scortecci 1935b. 554: MCSN 1939–40. 556: Cornalia in Haimann 1882, 1886; Werner 1909; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. “ Cyrenaica ”: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913. “ Marmarica ”: Zavattari 1937. LIBYA: MCSN 1935; NMBA-REPT 15357; SMF 34193; Condorelli-Francaviglia 1896.

COMMENTS.— Only the nominate subspecies, which occurs as far east as the Nile Delta, is present in Libya, whereas the subspecies C. c. musae Steindachner, 1900 is limited to the area of the northern Eastern Desert and Sinai (Baha El Din, 2006; Ibrahim, 2013) and C. c. orientalis Park- er, 1938 is present in the southern Arabian peninsula. Chamaeleo c. recticrista Boettger, 1889 from the Near and Middle East, was not recognized by Klaver and Böhme (1997), but was accepted by Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) and Werner (2016). Tilbury and Tolley (2009) provided a recent commentary on the status of the systematics of the genus Chamaeleo . Chamaeleo c. saharicus Müller, 1887 , a desert morph with its type locality in north central Algeria, has not been recognized as valid in any recent treatments. Klaver and Böhme (1997) considered it as a synonym of the nominotypical subspecies, but differences in coloration and habitat preference from Mediterranean populations may warrant further investigation.

Many inland localities in Libya probably reflect intentional or accidental movement by humans, however, relict autochthonous populations may be present in oases that were once connected to larger areas of more appropriate habitat via suitable corridors along paleodrainages. Desio (1931) reported the presence of “camaleonti, gechi, serpi, vipere dal corno” from Maradah (locality 553), but as there is potential ambiguity as to which species were intended, we have included in this atlas only the chamaeleon record, which is unambiguous.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Least Concern.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Chamaeleo chamaeleon from Farwah Island, Libya (33.1095, 11.7157), 2007. Photo courtesy of Natural History Museum of Crete © M. Avramakis.