Rieppeleon kerstenii explained
Rieppeleon kerstenii is species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to East Africa. There are two subspecies.
Geographic range
R. kerstenii is found in eastern Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and northeastern Tanzania.
Habitat
R. kerstenii is found at altitudes from sea level to, in a variety of habitats: shrubland, savanna, and forest.
Common names
Common names for R. kerstenii include Kenya leaf chameleon, Kenya pygmy chameleon, Kenya stumptail chameleon, Kersten's pygmy chameleon, and pygmy grass chameleon.
Etymologies
The specific name, kerstenii, is in honour of Otto Kersten (1839–1900), who was a German chemist and traveler.[1]
The subspecific name, robecchii, is in honour of Luigi Robecchi Bricchetti (1855–1926), who was an Italian geologist and explorer.[1]
Behaviour
R. kerstenii is crepuscular.
Diet
R. kerstenii preys upon insects and other arthropods.
Reproduction
R. kerstenii is oviparous. Clutch size is as large as ten eggs.
Subspecies
The following two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Further reading
- Boulenger GA (1891). "On some Reptiles collected by Sig. L. Robecchi Bricchetti in Somaliland". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie Seconda 12: 5–15 + Plate I. (Rhampholeon robecchii, new species, p. 13 + Plate I, figures 3, 3a).
- Peters W (1868). "Über eine neue Nagergattung, Chiropodomys pennicullatus, so wie über einige neue oder weniger bekannte Amphibien und Fische ". Monatsberichte der Königlich-Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1868: 448–461. (Chamaeleo kerstenii, new species, p. 449). (in German).
- Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). A Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition. London, Oxford, New York, New Delhi, Sydney: Bloomsbury Wildlife. 624 pp. . (Rieppeleon kerstenii, pp. 247–248).
- Tilbury C (2010). Chameleons of Africa: An Atlas, Including the Chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Edition Chimaira. 831 pp. .
Notes and References
- [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
