Toothed leaf chameleon
| Brookesia dentata | |
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| Species: | B. dentata
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| Binomial name | |
| Brookesia dentata Mocquard, 1900
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Brookesia dentata, also known as the Toothed Leaf Chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to north-western Madagascar. It was first described by Mocquard in 1900: 345, and has been described numerous times since then, most recently by Townsend et al. in 2009. It is affected by the collection of charcoal, forest fires, and the grazing of cattle.
Distribution and habitat
The Brookesia dentata is endemic to north-western Madagascar, and has a type locality of Sberbieville, north-west Madagascar.[1] It has been confirmed to be found at Andasibe, Mandraka and Angavo-Anjozorobe. At the highest, the species can be found at 1,300 metres (4,300 feet). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have classed the Brookesia dentata as an Endangered species on their IUCN Red List.[2] It is listed as Endangered because it is only known from the Ankarafantsika-area, which covers {[convert|1300|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=off}}, although it could be found over an area of 2,700 square kilometres (1,000 square miles) at the highest. The habitat of Brookesia dentata is continuing to decline due to charcoal collection, fires, and cattle.[3] The population of the Brookesia dentata is currently decreasing like the habitat.[4] It is currently protected under the Madagascar law, and collection of the species is permitted with permission to do so.[5]
Taxonomy
The Brookesia dentata was initially described by Mocquard in 1900: 345, and has later been described many times: Werner (1911: 43), Mertens (1966: 2), Brygoo (1978: 25), Glaw and Vences (1994: 235), Klaver and Böhme (1997), Necas (1999: 277), and most recently Townsend et al. (2009).[6]