PTI,
6/20/17, Washington, D.C. Scientists have identified three new species
of chameleons, after studying a trio of reptiles earlier thought to
belong to the same species.
The specimens were collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2009 and 2014.
Researchers
from University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) were able to describe the
three new chameleon species after carefully analysing geographical,
morphological, and DNA data.
The
reptile trio, historically thought to be a single species, was found in
different parts of the Albertine Rift in Central Africa.
“We
had this really nice dataset with samples collected all throughout the
range of a particular species which meant we could really figure out its
true diversity,” said Daniel Hughes from UTEP.
“We took to the next step and ultimately described three new species,” Hughes said.
Two
of the chameleons were named Rugege Highlands Forest Chameleon
(Kinyongia rugegensis) and Itombwe Forest Chameleon (Kinyongia
itombwensis) – after the mountain ranges in which they were found.
The
third chameleon, Tolley’s Forest Chameleon (Kinyongia tolleyae), was
named after herpetologist Krystal Tolley, principal scientist at the
South African National Biodiversity Institute, who has contributed
significantly to chameleon research.
There are 206 described species of chameleons on the planet and Hughes hopes to continue finding many more.
The research was published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.
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