Kingdom Animalia Class Reptilia Superorder Lepidosauria Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Infraclass Lepidosauromorpha Suborder Lacertilia Genus Brookesia Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Similar Brookesia ambreensis, Brookesia ebenaui, Brookesia, Mount d'Ambre leaf cham, Brookesia decaryi | ||
Brookesia bonsi is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. It was initially described by Ramanantsoa in 1980. The International Union for Conservation of Nature ranked this species as Critically Endangered.
Contents
Etymology
The specific name, bonsi, is in honor of French herpetologist Jacques Bons.
Distribution and habitat
Brookesia bonsi is endemic to Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve (Namoroka National Park; Reserve naturelle no. 8 du Tsingy de Namoroka) in Soalala District, Mahajanga Province, northern Madagascar. Its type locality is the Tsingy de Namoroka Strict Nature Reserve. It is found on and restricted to the more humid parts of the reserve. B. bonsi was found at elevations between 100 and 200 m (330 and 660 ft) above mean sea level. It is believed to be found over an area less than 100 km2 (39 sq mi), and many surveys in western Madagascar have failed to record this species. Because of the small area in which it is found, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has ranked B. bonsi as Critically Endangered because the climate continues to suffer due to the collection of wood. During a 1996 survey, the species was not considered rare, but during 2002, the species was not found on a 15-day survey of the nature reserve.
Taxonomy
Brookesia bonsi was first described by Ramanantsoa in 1980, and later in 1994: 236, by Glaw and Vences. It was later described by Necas in 1999: 276, and most recently Townsend et al. in 2009. According to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System, the taxonomic status of this species is valid.