Trioceros melleri (Gray, 1865)

Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela B., Bayliss, Julian & Conradie, Werner, 2020, First herpetological surveys of Mount Lico and Mount Socone, Mozambique, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 247) 14 (2), pp. 198-217 : 208

Trioceros melleri (Gray, 1865)

Meller’s Chameleon

Material. MOUNT SOCONE (base): Photograph Fig. 4E ; DNA sample. Identification. This is the largest mainland species of chameleon and is characterized by having a single small annular rostral horn. The BLAST search shows 99% similarity with T. melleri from Malema River in northern Mozambique ( DQ 923813). Comments. This individual, collected by workers from the Chá Socone tea plantation, was photographed before having a DNA sample taken from the tail tip and then released. This is the only species of Trioceros known from Mozambique, whereas in adjacent Tanzania there are 15 species ( Spawls et al. 2018).

Figures

Fig. 4. Reptiles from Mount Lico and Mount Socone, northern Mozambique. (A) Agama kirkii; (B) A. mossambica; (C) Chamaeleo dilepis; (D) Rhampholeon tilburyi; (E) Trioceros melleri; (F) Platysaurus maculatus; (G) Lygodactylus sp.; (H) Melanoseps ater; (I) Panaspis aff. maculicollis; (J) Dasypeltis scabra; (K–L) Philothamnus macrops; (M–N) Naja subfulva; (O) Boaedon fuliginosus.