Labord's chameleon

Labord's chameleon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Lacertilia
Infraorder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Furcifer
Species: F. labordi
Binomial name
Furcifer labordi
(Grandidier, 1872)
Synonyms
  • Chamaeleo labordi
    Grandidier, 1872
  • Chamaeleo barbouri
    Heckenbleikner, 1942
  • Furcifer labordi
    — Glaw & Vences, 1994[2]

Labord's chameleon (Furcifer labordi ) is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar.

Etymology

The specific name, labordi, is in honor of French adventurer Jean Laborde.[3]

Life cycle

Like other Furcifer species (F. antimena, F. lateralis), F. labordi has an obligate year-long lifecycle. It lives for only about 4 to 5 months, making it the shortest lifespan ever recorded for a four-legged vertebrate.[4][5] In their natural habitat, eggs hatch with the first rains in November, the growth is rapid, and adulthood is reached by January, at which time they breed. By later February or early March, females have deposited the eggs which will hatch next year, and the entire population dies until the next hatching.

In captivity

In captivity, eggs of F. labordi have hatched after 4 months of incubation at 26 °C (79 °F). Juveniles grow very rapidly, reaching adulthood after 3 months. Females that were properly fed grew with eggs and a vivid coloration, whereas females that were fed a less caloric diet grew thinner and only showed a green coloration.

References

  1. ↑ Andreone F; Andriamazava A; Anjeriniaina M; Brady L; Glaw F; Griffiths RA; Jenkins RKB; Rabibisoa N; Rakotomalala D; Randrianantoandro JC; et al. (2011). "Furcifer labordi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "Furcifer labordi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Furcifer labordi, p. 149).
  4. ↑ Karsten KB, Andriamandimbiarisoa LN, Fox SF, Raxworthy CJ (2008). "A unique life history among tetrapods: An annual chameleon living mostly as an egg" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (26): 8980–8984. doi:10.1073/pnas.0802468105. PMC 2449350Freely accessible. PMID 18591659.
  5. ↑ Natural history: Nasty, brutish and short (subscription required).

Further reading


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