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Abstract
We describe Calumma vohibola sp. nov., a morphologically distinct chameleon species of the Calumma nasutum species group from littoral forest fragments of the north-central east coast of Madagascar. Males and females of this species differ from all other species of the Calumma nasutum group by an almost absent rostral appendage, by a characteristic stress colouration in the female consisting of a dark reddish ground colouration with many irregular light blue spots, and by significant sequence divergence in the mitochondrial ND2 gene (10.5–19.4% pairwise distance) and no haplotype sharing in the nuclear C-mos gene compared with other members of the C. nasutum group. A molecular survey of C. nasutum populations occurring near the type locality of the new species reveals an extraordinarily high genetic diversity within this morphologically conservative chameleon group. We suspect that C. vohibola might be restricted to a rather small and fragmented distribution range within the last littoral forest fragments along the coast. Owing to the unsolved taxonomic situation of the C. nasutum group, no reliable distribution data of any member of this group are available at present, and hence we cannot ascertain whether the extent of occurrence of C. vohibola is indeed as restricted as suspected. Intensive surveys and field studies are necessary to clarify the distribution limits of this new species and to assess its conservation status reliably.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fieldwork in 2009 benefited from the assistance of Emile Rajeriarison and François Randrianasolo. We are grateful to the Malagasy authorities, in particular the Ministère de l'Environnement et des Forêts for research and export permits (Nos. 062/10/MEF/SG/DGF/DCB.SAP/SLRSE; 063/10/MEF/SG/DGF/DCB.SAP/SLRSE; 053/09/MEEFT/SG/DGEF/DSAP/SLRSE; 173C-EA04/MG10) and to the German authorities for issuing import permits (E-02599/10). We thank also Barbara Mathevon from Man and the Environment (MATE) and Owen Griffiths and Aldus Andriamamonjy from Biodiversity Conservation Madagascar (BCM), the Lemur Conservation Foundation (LCF) and Mitchell Irwin and Jean-Luc Raharison from SADABE for their support, the provided facilities and for the research permits within their private reserves. Thanks to Eva Saxinger, Meike Kondermann and Gaby Keunecke for supporting the laboratory work. Wolfgang Böhme (ZFMK, Bonn), Ivan Ineich (MNHN, Paris), Gunther Köhler (SMF, Frankfurt) and Mark-Oliver Rödel (ZMB, Berlin) helped in loaning the specimens held in their institutions, and Colin McCarthy (BMNH, London) kindly facilitated the study of specimens. Angelica Crottini provided additional data. The work of PSG was supported by a project of the evolutionary biology funding initiative of the Volkswagen Foundation. FR was supported by a project of the Volkswagen Foundation in the programme ‘Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa’.