Furcifer

Furcifer
Furcifer pardalis, panther chameleon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Lacertilia
Infraorder: Iguania
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Genus: Furcifer
Fitzinger, 1843

Furcifer is a genus of chameleons whose member species are mostly endemic to Madagascar, but F. cephalolepis and F. polleni are endemic to the Comoros. Additionally, F. pardalis has been introduced to Réunion and Mauritius, while F. oustaleti has been introduced to near Nairobi in Kenya.

Taxonomy

The generic name (Furcifer) is derived from the Latin root furci- meaning "forked" and refers to the shape of the animal's feet.[1]

The genus contains 22 species.[2]

Species

The following species are recognized as being valid.[3]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Furcifer.

References

  1. Le Berre, François; Bartlett, Richard D. (2009). The Chameleon Handbook. Barron's Educational Series. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7641-4142-3.
  2. 1 2 Glaw F et al. (2009). A distinctive new species of chameleon of the genus Furcifer (Squamata: Chameleonidae) from the Montagne d'Ambre rainforest of northern Madagascar. Zootaxa 2269: 32-42.
  3. "Furcifer ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading


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