Variation in Chamaeleo jacksonii (Sauria, Chamaeleontidae): Description of a New Subspecies

Abstract

In 170 specimens of Chamaeleo jacksonii, five statistically independent factors accounted for the morphological variation present. A body size factor included SVL, tail length, parietal crest height, jaw length, dorsal crest scale cluster lengths, and male rostral and preoccular horn lengths. An interval factor included dorsal crest scale interval lengths. A roughness factor represented variation in the degree of occipital and postocular scale convexity and the degree of irregularity found in the parietal crest. A pigmentation factor included differences in parietal and dorsal crest scale pigmentation. Finally, a female horn factor included female rostral and preocular horn lengths. A new subspecies, C. jacksonii xantholophus, is described. It differs from C. j. jacksonii and C. j. merumontana in SVL, the convexity of occipital and postocular scales, parietal and dorsal crest pigmentation, body length relative to tail length, and crest interval size relative to crest scale cluster size.