Rieppeleon kerstenii is species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to East Africa. There are two subspecies.
| Rieppeleon kerstenii | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Chamaeleonidae |
| Genus: | Rieppeleon |
| Species: | R. kerstenii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rieppeleon kerstenii (W. Peters, 1868)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Geographic range
editR. kerstenii is found in eastern Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and northeastern Tanzania.[1][2]
Habitat
editR. kerstenii is found at altitudes from sea level to 1,500 m (4,900 ft), in a variety of habitats: shrubland, savanna, and forest.[1]
Common names
editCommon names for R. kerstenii include Kenya leaf chameleon,[2] Kenya pygmy chameleon,[2] Kenya stumptail chameleon,[2] Kersten's pygmy chameleon,[3] and pygmy grass chameleon.[1]
Etymologies
editThe specific name, kerstenii, is in honour of Otto Kersten (1839–1900), who was a German chemist and traveler.[2][3]
The subspecific name, robecchii, is in honour of Luigi Robecchi Bricchetti (1855–1926), who was an Italian geologist and explorer.[3]
Behaviour
editR. kerstenii is crepuscular.[1]
Diet
editR. kerstenii preys upon insects and other arthropods.[1]
Reproduction
editR. kerstenii is oviparous.[1][2] Clutch size is as large as ten eggs.[1]
Subspecies
editThe following two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Tolley, K. (2014). "Rieppeleon kerstenii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T172535A1344556. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T172535A1344556.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rieppeleon kerstenii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 30 October 2018.
- ^ a b c Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp.
ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rieppeleon kerstenii, p. 140; Rhampholeon robecchii, p. 223).
Further reading
edit- 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. ISBN 978-1-399-40481-5. (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. ISBN 978-3899731156.
 | This chameleon article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |