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Accepted by S. Carranza: 17 May 2012; published: 18 Jul. 2012
ZOOTAXA
ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Copyright © 2012 · Magnolia Press
Zootaxa 3391: 1–22 (2012)
www.mapress.com/zootaxa/Article
1
A new species of chameleon (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) from the Aberdare
Mountains in the central highlands of Kenya
JAN STIPALA1,4, NICOLA LUTZMANN2, PATRICK K. MALONZA3, PAUL WILKINSON1,
BRENDAN GODLEY1, JOASH NYAMACHE3 & MATTHEW R. EVANS1
1School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Tremough Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9EZ, UK.
E-mail: janstipala@hotmail.com, p.a.wilkinson@exeter.ac.uk , b.j.godley@exeter.ac.uk, m.r.evans@exeter.ac.uk
2Seitzstrasse 19, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. Email: langstrasse@web.de
3Herpetology section, National Museums of Kenya, Museum Hill, Nairobi, Kenya.
E-mail: kmalonza@museums.or.ke, nyamachecj@yahoo.com
4Corresponding author. E-mail: janstipala@hotmail.com
Abstract
We describe a new species of chameleon, Trioceros kinangopensis sp. nov., from Kinangop Peak in the Aberdare moun-
tains, central highlands of Kenya. The proposed new species is morphologically and genetically distinct from other mem-
ber of the bitaeniatus-group. It is morphologically most similar to T. schubotzi but differs in the lack of sexual size
dimorphism, smaller-sized females, smoother, less angular canthus rostrales, smaller scales on the temporal region and a
bright orange gular crest in males. Mitochondrial DNA indicates that the proposed new taxon is a distinct lineage that is
closely related to T. nyirit and T. schubotzi. The distribution of T. kinangopensis sp. nov. appears to be restricted to the
afroalpine zone in vicintiy of Kinangop Peak and fires may pose a serious threat to the long-term survival of this species.
Key words: endemism, East Africa, phylogenetics, rift vally, species diversity, systematics
Introduction
The highlands of East Africa represent a regional hotspot for chameleon species diversity in mainland Africa. Five
genera and over fifity species are present in the region, the majority of which are restricted to montane biotopes
(Spawls et al. 2002, Tilbury 2010). Surveys of some of the more remote and biologically understudied mountain
ranges in the region continue to reveal hitherto undiscovered species diversity (Menegon et al. 2002, Necas et al.
2003, Necas et al. 2005, Mariaux & Tilbury 2006, Menegon et al. 2009, Necas 2009, Necas et al. 2009, Krause &
Böhme 2010, Lutzmann et al. 2010, Stipala et al. 2011). Molecular techniques have also been used to investigate
several groups of East African chameleons that have a complex taxonomic history, providing valuable insights into
their the phylogenetic relationships and the historical geological and climatic processes that have driven their
diversification (Matthee et al. 2004, Measey & Tolley 2011, Tolley et al. 2011). Molecular studies have also
revealed that many geographically widespread species with fragmented distributions contain deep phylogenetic
splits, indicating prolonged periods of isolation among populations and the presence of cryptic species (Matthee et
al. 2004, Mariaux & Tilbury 2006, Mariaux et al. 2008, Menegon et al. 2009, Barej et al. 2010, Stipala et al. 2011).
Among the East African chameleons the genus Trioceros is a species diverse lineage that has been included in
several phylogenies (Townsend & Larson 2002, Raxworthy et al. 2002, Tilbury & Tolley 2009, Krause & Böhme
2010, Stipala et al. 2011) but is in need of further detailed investigation. Within the genus is a sub-clade known as
the bitaeniatus-group (Rand 1963) that consists of small bodied, live-bearing species with montane distributions.
They are a morphologically distinctive group that display the following characteristics: prominent tubercular cranial
crests including a raised parietal crest, which forms a triangular casque at the back of the head; prominent dorsal and
gular crests; and heterogeneous body scalation. A few species possess a single, short rostral process and one species,
T. jacksonii, possesses three long annular horns. The taxonomic history of the bitaeniatus-group is complex and has
been subject to several major revisions with conflicting views on species and sub-species groupings (Werner 1911,
Mertens 1966, Rand 1963). A detailed study of the external morphology of the bitaeniatus-group by Rand (1963)
STIPALA ET AL.
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resulted in the recognition of six species, which has since been accepted by most authors (Broadley & Howell 1991,
Klaver & Böhme 1997, Spawls et al. 2002, Tilbury 2010), although two subspecies have been elevated to full
species (Necas 1999). More recently, several new species have been described that have also been assigned to the
group (Tilbury 1991, Tilbury 1998, Necas et al. 2003, Necas et al. 2005, Krause & Böhme 2010, Stipala et al.
2011). Molecular studies support the monophyly of the bitaeniatus-group and identify all described species as
separate monophyletic evolutionary lineages (Koreny 2006, Tilbury & Tolley 2009).
The continued discovery of new chameleon species across the highlands of East Africa provided the motiva-
tion for a project to investigate chameleon species diversity in the central and western highlands of Kenya. We con-
ducted extensive surveys of afromontane and afroalpine habitats and also adjacent anthropogenic landscapes.
During these surveys we visited the inaccessible Kinangop Peak at the southern end of the Aberdare range. It can
only be reached after a tough two-day trek through dense bamboo and steep hilly terrain. At the peak we experi-
enced strong winds, heavy cloud cover and hail storms. However, during a short break in the weather and a brief
period of sunshine we were able to collect a series of small chameleons that emerged at the tops of bushes to bask.
In this paper we compare the Kinangop Peak specimens with other members of the bitaeniatus-group and based on
their morphological and molecular distinctiveness describe them here as a new species.
Material and methods
Field survey techniques
We visited the Kinangop Peak area for three days between 23rd and 26th February 2007. We surveyed afroalpine
vegetation between 3000–3800m, conducting searches during the day and also at night using torches. Specimens
were held in cloth bags and later killed with chloroform and preserved using a 4% formalin solution, before being
finally stored in 70% ethanol. All specimens are held in the National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.
Morphological analysis
In addition to specimens collected during the field surveys we examined preserved material of all described species
in the bitaeniatus-group from the following museum collections: National Museums of Kenya (NMK), Natural
History Museum, London (BMNH) and Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn (ZFMK). The
total number of specimens examined of each species were: T. bitaeniatus (14), T. conirostratus (2), T. ellioti (31), T.
hanangensis (2), T. hoehnelii (52), T. kinangopensis sp. nov. (13), T. kinetensis (4), T. marsabitensis (2), T.
narraioca (14), T. ntunte (2), T. nyirit (24), T. rudis (22), T. schoutedeni (description only, de Witt 1965), T.
schubotzi (24), T. sternfeldi (7). Material examined is listed in Appendix I. Collecting localities of all specimens are
shown in Figure 1 and the number of males and females from each locality are given in Table 1.
We made an initial assessment of the external morphology of Kinangop Peak specimens and other species in
the bitaeniatus-group and selected the following external morphological characters: parietal crest curvature
(straight/ weakly curved/ strongly curved), parietal crest angle (relative to mouth line—low/ moderately elevated/
steep), parietal crest width (narrow/ swollen posteriorly), temporal scale size (fine/ large) and convexity (flat/
convex), rostral horn (absent/ single conical scale/ short, rounded and scale covered/ pointed and annular), horn
orientation (anterior/ dorsal), gular region scale size (relative to flanks) and convexity (flat/ convex), gular crest
development (absent/ short/ long), dorsal crest development (low/ medium/ high), dorsal crest scale pattern
(homogeneous/ heterogeneous), body scale pattern, not including lateral row tubercles (homogeneous/
heterogeneous), lateral rows tubercles (number of rows/ size of tubercles relative to flank scales), para-parietal
crests position relative to other cranial crests (e.g. forked anteriorly and in contact with supra-orbital crests, running
parallel to parietal, etc).
The Kinangop Peak specimens were morphologically most similar to T. schubotzi from Mt. Kenya, therefore
we decided to conduct a more detailed comparison of morphological variation among specimens from the two mas-
sifs. In addition to the characters listed above we recorded variation in the following characters: profile of the snout
(sloping/ angular), rugocity of the scales on the cranial crests (smooth/ denticulate), snout-vent length (SVL) (dis-
tance from the mouth tip to the vent); and tail length (distance from opening of the vent to tip of tail). We analysed
differences in SVL between the two massifs and between the sexes using a General Linear Model (GLM) and
Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press · 3
NEW SPECIES OF CHAMELEON FROM THE ABERDARE MOUNTAINS
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). We also incorporated sex into the model to investigate sexual size dimorphism.
Relative tail length was investigated using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with SVL used as the covariate.
TABLE 1. Species and numbers of males and females from each collecting locality used in the morphological analysis (see
map in Figure 1).
Species Locality
ID Locality Males Females
schoutedeni 1 Mt. Kabobo, Democratic Republic of Congo 1 0
rudis 2 Virunga Mountains, Uganda 4 4
ellioti 3 Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda 1 2
rudis 3 Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda 9 5
conirostratus 4 Imatong Mountains, Sudan 1 0
kinetensis 4 Imatong Mountains, Sudan 2 2
conirostratus 5 Loima Hills, Kenya 1 0
nyirit 6 Mtelo massif, Kenya 4 4
nyirit 7 Sondang, Cherangani Hills, Kenya 3 2
nyirit 8 Kaptalamwa, Cherangani Hills, Kenya 5 6
hoehnelii 9 Mt. Elgon (3500m), Kenya 4 4
ellioti 10 Kabarua forest station, Mt. Elgon, Kenya 1 1
bitaeniatus 11 Elgeyo forest station, Kenya 0 3
hoehnelii 12 Eldoret, Uasin Gishu District, Kenya 3 2
ellioti 13 Nandi forest, Kenya 12 10
hoehnelii 14 Nabkoi forest station, Kenya 5 3
ellioti 15 Kericho forest station, Kenya 1 1
ellioti 16 Nyangores forest station, Kenya 1 1
hoehnelii 16 Nyangores forest station, Kenya 1 1
hoehnelii 17 Sururu forest station, Kenya 4 4
bitaeniatus 18 Entasekera, Nguruman escarpment, Kenya 1 1
narraioca 19 Mt. Kulal, Kenya 6 8
marsabitensis 20 Mt. Marsabit, Kenya 2 0
ntunte 21 Mt. Nyiru, Kenya 1 1
bitaeniatus 22 Maralal, Samburu District, Kenya 0 3
hoehnelii 23 Ngare Ndare forest, Mt. Kenya, Kenya 2 2
schubotzi 24 Mt. Kenya moorland, Kenya 2 2
schubotzi 25 Chogoria route, Mt. Kenya 4 0
hoehnelii 26 Naro Moru Met. Station (3000m), Mt. Kenya 2 0
schubotzi 27 Sirimon route, Mt. Kenya 9 7
hoehnelii 28 Nyahururu, Nyandarua District, Kenya 3 1
hoehnelii 29 Kiandogoro Moorland, Aberdare Mtns, Kenya 4 4
kinangopensis sp. nov. 30 Mt. Kinangop, Aberdare Mountains 8 5
hoehnelii 31 Limuru, Kiambu District, Kenya 3 0
bitaeniatus 32 Magadi Road, Kajiado district, Kenya 2 2
sternfeldi 33 Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania 0 2
sternfeldi 34 Mt. Meru crater, Tanzania 2 3
hanangensis 35 Mt. Hanang, Tanzania 1 1
bitaeniatus 36 Mwanza, Tanzania 2 0
STIPALA ET AL.
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FIGURE 1. Collecting localities of specimens used in the morphological analysis. Numbers of specimens from each locality
given in Table 1, Appendix II. An * indicates collecting localities used in the molecular analyses.
Molecular analysis
We investigated genetic differentiation and phylogenetic relationships among species in the bitaeniatus group
using two mitochondrial markers, partial 16S rRNA and the protein coding region ND4, plus adjacent tRNAs. Both
markers have proved informative in studies investigating species diversity and phylogenetic relationships among
species in snakes (Wuster et al. 2008), other groups of lizards (Albert et al. 2007, Leache & McGuire 2006) and
within the Chamaeleonidae (Tolley et al. 2004, Matthee et al. 2004, Mariaux & Tilbury 2006, Boumans et al. 2007,
Mariaux et al. 2008, Tilbury & Tolley 2009, Gehring et al. 2010, Glaw et al. 2012). The 16S marker has been
widely used in molecular studies of Chameleonidae and enabled us to include several additional species from the
bitaeniatus group in our analyses.
Source material. Mitochondrial DNA sequences were obtained for 10 of the 14 described species in the bitae-
niatus-group: T. bitaeniatus, T. conirostratus, T. ellioti, T. hanangensis, T. hoehnelii, T. jacksonii, T. narraioca, T.
nyirit, T. rudis, T. schubotzi and T. sternfeldi. Trioceros melleri and Chamaeleo dilepis were used as outgroups.
Novel DNA sequences were generated from tissues collected during field surveys. Additional 16S sequences were
obtained from GenBank. Species names, collecting localities and GenBank accession numbers of specimens used
in the phylogenetic analyses are listed in Table 2.
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TABLE 2. Specimens used in the phylogenetic analyses: species names, collecting localities, Field tag IDs and GenBank
accession numbers for 16S and ND4 sequences.
Laboratory methods. Genomic DNA was extracted from tissues using a standard protocol of Proteinase K
digestion and salt extraction (Palumbi et al. 1991) and visualised on a 1% agarose gel. We amplified two portions
of the mitochondrial genome using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR): approximately 750 b.p. of partial 16S
ribosomal RNA and 850 b.p. of partial NADH Dehydrogenase Subunit 4 (ND4) and adjacent tRNAs (tRNAhis,
tRNAser, tRNAleu), using the following the laboratory protocols. The ND4 marker was amplified using the prim-
GenBank accession numbers
Species Collecting locality Field tag ID 16S ND4
C. dilepis Entasekera, Nguruman Escarpment, Kenya JAS209 JN161104 JN165389
T. bitaeniatus Elgeyo forest station, Elgeyo escarpement JAS404 JN161102 JN165387
T. bitaeniatus Elgeyo forest station, Elgeyo escarpement JAS405 JX046727 JX046737
T. bitaeniatus Tenges forest station, Tugen Hills JAS226 JN161103 JN165388
T. conirostratus Mtelo massif, Kenya JAS256 JX046728 JX046738
T. conirostratus Mtelo massif, Kenya JAS258 JX046729 JX046739
T. ellioti Cherangani forest station, Cherangani Hills JAS255 JN161105 JN165390
T. ellioti Kabarua forest station, Mt. Elgon JAS402 JX046730 JX046740
T. ellioti Kabarua forest station, Mt. Elgon JAS403 JN161106 JN165391
T. hanangensis Mt. Hanang, Tanzania - DQ397283 -
T. hanangensis Mt. Hanang, Tanzania - DQ397284 -
T. hanangensis Mt. Hanang, Tanzania - FJ717781 -
T. hoehnelii Eldoret, western highlands JAS414 JN161107 JN165392
T. hoehnelii Nyahururu, Central Highlands JAS033 JN161112 JN165397
T. jacksonii Nairobi CjNBI1 JN161116 JN165401
T. kinangopensis sp. nov. Mt. Kinangop, Aberdare Mountains 41661 JX046732 JX046742
T. kinangopensis sp. nov. Mt. Kinangop, Aberdare Mountains 41663 JX046733 JX046743
T. kinangopensis sp. nov. Mt. Kinangop, Aberdare Mountains 41665 JX046734 JX046744
T. kinangopensis sp. nov. Mt. Kinangop, Aberdare Mountains 41667 JX046735 JX046745
T. melleri unknown - AB474916 AB474916
T. narraioca Mt. Kulal, Kenya - DQ397298 -
T. nyirit Kaptalamwa, Cherangani Hills JAS243 JN161117 JN165402
T. nyirit Tenderwa, Cherangani Hills TEND1 JN161122 JN165407
T. nyirit Tenderwa, Cherangani Hills TEND2 JN161123 JN165408
T. nyirit Tenderwa, Cherangani Hills TEND4 JN161125 JN165410
T. nyirit Mtelo massif. Kenya JAS264 JN161120 JN165404
T. nyirit Mtelo massif. Kenya JAS265 JN161121 JN165405
T. rudis Ruhiza, Ruwenzori Mountains, Uganda - DQ397223 -
T. rudis Bwindi, Uganda - DQ923811 -
T. rudis Bwindi, Uganda - DQ397285 -
T. schubotzi Sirimon route (3000m), Mt Kenya JAS083 JN161127 JN165412
T. schubotzi Sirimon route (3000m), Mt Kenya JAS084 JX046736 JX046746
T. schubotzi Chogoria route (3000m), Mt Kenya schCH JX046731 JX046741
T. sternfeldi Mt. Meru, Tanzania 3ST JN161128 JN165413
T. sternfeldi Mt. Meru, Tanzania 4ST JN161129 JN165414
T. sternfeldi Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania - DQ397287 -
STIPALA ET AL.
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ers ND4 and LEU (Forstner et al. 1995) and 16S marker using primers L1921 (Fu 2000), L2206 and H3056
(Honda et al. 2003). Approximately 10–40ng of total genomic DNA was used as template for the PCR in a final
volume of 20 l containing: a thermophilic buffer (50mM KCl, 10mM Tris–HCl, pH 9.0), 2mM MgCl2, 0.5 M of
each primer, 0.4mM dNTPs, and 1.25 Units of Taq polymerase. The cycle profile included an initial denaturing
step at 95 ºC for 2 min, followed by 42 cycles of 95 ºC for 45s, 58 ºC (ND4) or 56 ºC (16S) for 45s and 72 ºC for 2
min, with a final extension of 72 ºC for 5 min. PCR products were checked on a 1% agarose gel, then purified with
EZNA Cycle Pure PCR Clean-up kits. The concentration of the purified PCR product was determined for optimal
sequencing using a SpecroMax spectrophotometer. PCR fragments were directly sequenced for both strands using
the BigDye cycle sequencing kit (Applied Biosystems), and an ABI 377 automated sequencer. Chromatograms
were read using Geneious Pro 4.0 and a consensus sequence generated from the forward and reverse primer
sequences.
Sequence alignment. Sequences were aligned with ClustalW (Thompson et al. 1994) as a plug-in to Geneious
Pro, using the default settings. The protein-coding gene ND4 was translated into amino-acid sequences using ORF
Finder (http://www.bioinformatics.org/sms2/orf_find.html) (Stothard 2000) to check for unexpected stop codons,
and no indels were present, either of which would indicate pseudogene sequences (Zhang & Hewitt 1996).
Phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Maximum Parsimony (MP) and Bayesian
Inference (BI) methods. Distance matrices were computed with MEGA 5 (Tamura et al. 2011). For MP we used
PAUP* 4.0b10 (Swofford 2002). Prior to conducting a MP analysis we concatenated 16S and ND4 genes and con-
ducted a partition homogeneity test, as implemented in PAUP* 4.0b10 (Swofford 2002) to test for conflicting phy-
logenetic signal. MP analyses were performed as an unweighted heuristic search with TBR branch swapping and
1000 random addition sequence replicates. Gaps were treated as fifth character as they have been shown to contain
useful phylogenetic signal, particularly at lower taxonomic levels (Kawakita et al. 2003). Support for internal
nodes was estimated using non-parametric bootstrap searches (Felsenstein 1985) with 1000 pseudo-replicates, 25
random addition sequence replicates each and SPR branch-swapping. Nodes with at least 70% bootstrap support
were considered to indicate strong support with a 95% probability of the clade being correct (Hillis & Bull 1993,
Felsenstein 2004).
Bayesian analyses were carried out using Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) randomization in MrBayes 3.1
(Ronquist & Huelsenbeck 2003). We ran multiple Bayesian analyses under different data partitioning strategies.
Data partitions were selected based on marker (16S and ND4) and functional role e.g. coding versus non-coding
regions and codon position for protein coding regions. We determined the most appropriate model of nucleotide
substitution for each data partition using the program MrModelTest v2.2 (Nylander et al. 2004) and AIC to select
the best-fit model. For each partitioning strategy we ran two independent analyses consisting of four Markov
chains that ran for 10x106 generations, sampled every 10,000 generations, with a maximum likelihood starting tree,
using default priors with the exception of changes necessary to set models of evolution and ‘‘prset ratepr’’ set as
‘‘variable’’ and using the "unlink" command to allow partitions to evolve at heterogeneous rates. The programme
Tracer 1.4 (Rambaut & Drummond 2007) was used to determine ‘burn-in’ and the first 250 trees were discarded,
the remaining trees used to generate a 50% majority rule consensus tree. Support for individual clades was assessed
based on Bayesian posterior probabilities (Pp), and clades with Pp 95% were considered to be strongly supported
(Huelsenbeck & Rannala 2004). We assessed whether different partitioning strategies were better than an un-parti-
tioned analysis using Bayes factors, as described in the MrBayes 3.1 manual (Ronquist et al. 2005) and discussed
in Brandley et al. (2005), Nylander et al. (2004) and Brown & Lemon (2007).
Results
Morphological analysis
Specimens from Kinangop Peak differ in their external morphology from all other species in the bitaeniatus-group
(Table 3) based on the following combination of characters: absence of a rostral process, a low straight casque, a
short gular crest (orange in males), heterogeneous body scalation with two prominent rows of enlarged tubercles on
each flank. The Kinangop Peak specimens are most similar to T. schubotzi but differ from them in the following
characters: the canthus rostralis form a sloping snout without a short rostral process or bump and are smooth in pro-
file, scales on temporal region are only moderately enlarged bordering the orbit and graduate in size posteriorly to
become indistinguishable from those on the body; females same size as males (sexual-size dimorphism present in
T. schubotzi).
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The canthus rostralis in T. schubotzi are raised to give the snout a square profile and form a short rostral pro-
cess in some individuals. The scales on the canthus rostrales are also larger in T. schubotzi, giving the crests a ser-
rated outline in most specimens. In T. schubotzi the temporal region is covered by enlarged scales, weakly or
moderately convex and distinctly larger than the scales on the nape. Figures 2 and 6 illustrate the differences in
head morphology between Kinangop Peak specimens and the closely related T. nyirit and T. schubotzi.
FIGURE 2. Male head morphology. A— male (NMK L/3071/12), Kinangop Peak; B—T. schubotzi (NMK L/2325), Mt.
Kenya; C—T. nyirit, Cherangani Hills (NMK L/3166/1). T. nyirit differs from Kinangop Peak specimens in having a prominent
rostral process and elevated casque. T. schubotzi differs from the Kinangop Peak specimens in having an angular snout profile,
present as a short rostral process in many individuals, and enlarged scales across the entire temporal region.
A GLM of SVL revealed that the 'massif*sex' interaction term was highly significant (F3,30=8.51, p<0.001),
therefore we investigated differences in SVL between massifs and between sex independently. Males did not sig-
nificantly differ in SVL between massifs (T1,21=2.58, p=0.12) but females were significantly different (T1,9=8.11,
p=0.02). Sexual-size dimorphism was not evident in the Kinangop Peak specimens (T1,10=0.28, p=0.61) but was
highly significant for T. schubotzi (T1,20=13.6, p=0.0014) (Figure 3).
Relative tail length (RTL) was also investigated using a GLM with SVL as a covariate. The massif*sex inter-
action term was not significant (F1,28=0.03, p=0.85) and RTL did not significantly differ between massifs
(F1,28=0.08, p=0.78) or between the sexes (F1,28=0.77, p=0.39).
Molecular analysis
Sequence variation. Average genetic (uncorrected pairwise) distance among specimens from Kinangop Peak was
<0.1%. Uncorrected p-distances between Kinangop Peak specimens and other described species in the bitaeniatus-
group ranged from 1.7–6.6% for 16S and 3.7–8.2% for ND4 (Table 4). Genetic distances among described species
in the bitaeniatus-group ranged from 1.7–6.2% for 16S and 5.8–9.5% for ND4.
Phylogenetic analysis. The final sequence alignment consisted of 1555 base pairs (726 b.p. of 16S and 829
b.p. of ND4 and adjacent tRNAs). Translation of the sequences revealed no unexpected indels or stop codons. Of
the 1555 b. p., 474 were variable and 291 were parsimony-informative. The partition homogeneity test revealed no
conflicting phylogenetic signal (p=0.82) and therefore 16S and ND4 markers were concatenated and analysed
together. The MP analysis produced a single most parsimonious tree. The Bayesian analysis was run using different
partitioning strategies and Bayes Factors did not strongly support any of the partitioned analyses over an unparti-
tioned analysis using GTR + I + G as the model of nucleotide substitution. Both Bayesian and MP trees produced
almost identical topologies in the majority rule consensus trees (Figure 4) with the exception of a polytomy in the
Bayesian tree that is resolved in the MP tree, although boostrap values are low at the relevant nodes. Species
assigned to the bitaeniatus group form a strongly supported clade.
The phylogenetic relationships among species in the bitaeniatus group are not fully resolved, although the
Kinangop Peak specimens represent a strongly supported monophyletic lineage that together with T. schubotzi and
T. nyirit forms a strongly supported sub-clade within the bitaeniatus group. T. nyirit is paraphyletic with respect to
the Kinangop Peak specimens, although this relationship is only weakly supported.
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FIGURE 3. SVL variation in T. schubotzi and T. kinangopensis sp. nov. among males and females. White boxes = males, grey
boxes = females, bold line = median, box limits = 25th and 75th percentiles, whiskers = 5th and 95th percentiles, circles = out-
liers.
Phylogenetic analysis of the 422 b.p. sequence alignment of the 16S marker included several additional
species from the bitaeniatus group: T. hanangensis, T. narraioca and T. rudis. The monophyly of the bitaeniatus
group is not supported in the Bayesian analysis and the phylogenetic relationships among most species are either
represented by a large polytomy in the majority-rule consensus trees or have low support values (Figure 5).
However, in both MP and Bayesian trees, nodes that represent described species are strongly supported with the
exception of T. rudis, which was only moderately supported in the Bayesian tree. The sub-clade identifed in the
16S+ND4 tree (Kinangop Peak/ T. schubotzi/ T. nyirit) has weak support and topologies conflict between Bayesian
and MP analyses. However, the Kinangop Peak specimens form a strongly supported monophyletic lineage in both
Bayesian and MP trees.
Molecular data were not available for the following species in the bitaeniatus group: T. marsabitensis, T.
kinetensis, T. schoutedeni and T. ntunte. However, unpublished trees generated from sequences of the
mitochondrial marker NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) included several of these missing taxa (Koreny
2006). T. ntunte is placed in a clade together with T. schubotzi and T. nyirit, which suggests a close phylogenetic
relationship with the Kinangop peak lineage. However, the two populations are geographically isolated and
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NEW SPECIES OF CHAMELEON FROM THE ABERDARE MOUNTAINS
separated by several hundred kilometers and a substantial ecological barrier, which suggests they are likely to be
distinct evolutionary lineages. T. marsabitensis is a sister taxon to T. bitaeniatus and therefore does not appear to be
closely related to the Kinangop peak specimens T. kinetensis was placed in a clade with T. sternfeldi, T. ellioti, T.
hanangensis and T. rudis, which also suggests that it is a distinct evolutionary lineage from the Kinangop Peak
specimens. Molecular data were unavailable for T. schoutedeni.
FIGURE 4. Phylogenetic relationships among species in the bitaeniatus-group. Bayesian majority-rule consensus tree for
combined 16S and ND4 markers. Bayesian posterior probabilities above branches, MP boostrap values below branches. **
indicates nodes with Bayesian Pp = 1.0 and MP bootstrap support = 100%. Scale bar indicates the proportion of nucleotide sub-
stitutions. Values in parentheses = collecting locality numbers (see Figure 1 and Table 1).
STIPALA ET AL.
14 · Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 5. Phylogenetic relationships among species in the bitaeniatus-group. Bayesian majority-rule consensus tree gener-
ated from 422bp of partial 16S. Bayesian posterior probabilities above branches, MP boostrap support values below branches.
** indicates supported nodes (Bayesian Pp 0.95 and MP 70%). Scale bar indicates number of nucleotide substitutions. Miss-
ing values indicate conflicting topology between Bayesian and MP trees. Values in parentheses = collecting locality numbers
(see Figure 1 and Table 1).
Systematics
The results of the morphological analyses show that specimens from Kinangop Peak are morphologically distinct
from all currently described taxa in the bitaeniatus group, although they are morphologically similar to several
species. Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial markers (16S and ND4) show that the Kinangop Peak
specimens form a monophyletic lineage distinct from other taxa in the bitaeniatus group. T. nyirit is paraphyletic in
relation to the Kinangop Peak specimens. Two T. nyirit haplotypes occur in the Cherangani Hills, likely the result
of secondary contact with the isolated population on the Mtelo massif. However, the Kinangop Peak specimens are
morphologically and ecologically distinct from the T. nyirit populations and therefore we do not consider them
Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press · 15
NEW SPECIES OF CHAMELEON FROM THE ABERDARE MOUNTAINS
conspecific, despite the low genetic distance between them. Although not all species from the bitaeniatus group
were included in our molecular analyses, the results of another study (Koreny 2006) indicate that the Kinangop
Peak population is likely to represent a unique mitochondrial lineage distinct from all other species. Therefore,
under the General Lineage Species Concept (de Quieroz 1998) or Phylogenetic Species Concept (Cracraft 1983)
we propose that the Kinangop Peak population be recognised as a new species, Trioceros kinangopensis sp. nov.,
based on their morphological and genetic distinctiveness, and provide the following taxonomic description.
Species description
Trioceros kinangopensis sp. nov.
(Figures 2A, 6A/ B/ C/ E)
Holotype. NMK 3071/12, adult male, Kinangop Peak (3500m), Aberdare Mountains National Park, Kenya,
collected by Jan Stipala and Joash Nyamache on 24th February 2007.
Paratypes. 7 males and 5 females. NMK 3071/1, 3–5, 7, 11, males, NMK 3071/ 2, 6, 8–9, females, locality
same as holotype; NMK 2536/1, male, NMK 2536/2, female, vicinity of Kinangop Peak.
Diagnosis. A small, robust-bodied chameleon that differs from other members of the bitaeniatus group in
having a combination of the following characters: tail shorter than SVL in both sexes; heterogeneous body
scalation (fine body scales with small scattered tubercles and two lateral rows of enlarged tubercles on each flank);
low straight casque; short gular crest (orange in males); scales on the temporal region moderately enlarged and
graduating in size posteriorly to merge with the body scales; snout with sloping profile and smooth canthus
rostrales.
Description of holotype. Adult male, SVL = 58mm, tail = 51mm (total length = 109mm). Head with promi-
nent tubercular head crests, the lateral and parietal crests forming a low triangular casque. The scales on the casque
and between the canthal crests are weakly convex and between the supraorbital crests are more strongly convex.
The parietal crest forks anteriorly, consisting of two ridges of strongly convex tubercles that meet with the posterior
edge of the supraorbital crests. The temporal region is covered in weakly convex scales, larger than on the flanks
but smaller than the tubercles on the fore-limbs. A row of larger scales borders the posterior margin of the orbit.
The gular region consists of several rows of enlarged, strongly convex tubercles separated from the gular crest by
fine scales. The gular crest is made up of short, conical tubercles that continue onto the belly as a much shorter ven-
tral crest that terminates at the vent. The scales on the eye turrets are weakly heterogeneous, fine towards the outer
margin with slightly larger, more convex scales around the eye opening.
Body scalation is strongly heterogeneous and consists of fine background scales scattered with slightly larger,
convex tubercles. There are two prominent rows of large tubercles on each flank. The lower row runs between the
limbs. The upper row starts above the forelimb level with the lateral crest and extends the length of the body, con-
tinuing onto the tail as a series of smaller tubercles. The dorsal crest is well-developed and consists of a single row
of conical scales that extends the length of the body and continues on to the tail almost to the tip, the scales decreas-
ing in size posteriorly. The scales of the dorsal crest are heterogeneous in size, forming groups of four scales that
increase in size posteriorly within each group, the last two scales significantly larger than the ones before them.
The upper surfaces of the limbs are covered in numerous enlarged, weakly convex tubercles, although smaller in
size than those of the two lateral rows. A large convex tubercle is present on the flank above the point where the
forelimb meets the body. The ventral surfaces of the limbs and tail are covered in fine homogenous scales. The
hemipenes are not everted.
Colour in preservation. The holotype is uniform black.
Variation in paratypes. SVL and tail length measurements of all type specimens are given in Table 6 . Mean
SVL: males = 54.3mm ± 4.9 (n = 8); females = 56.0mm ± 6.4 (n = 5). Largest male: 117mm total length (SVL =
63mm, tail = 54mm), largest female: total length = 112mm (SVL = 61mm, tail = 51mm).
The size and convexity of the scales in the two lateral rows is variable. In some individuals the tubercles are
flat and very large in both rows, in others individuals they are moderately convex, the tubercles of the upper row
somewhat smaller and more strongly convex, although always larger than the scattered tubercles on the flanks and
limbs. In one individual the gular crest between the legs forms a double row of conical tubercles.
The hemipenes are not everted in any of the male specimens.
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16 · Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press
FIGURE 6. A—T. kinangopensis sp. nov., adult male (holotype); B—T. kinangopensis sp. nov., adult female; C—T. kinan-
gopensis sp. nov., male; D—T. schubotzi, male; E—T. kinangopensis sp. nov., female; F—T. schubotzi, female.
Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press · 17
NEW SPECIES OF CHAMELEON FROM THE ABERDARE MOUNTAINS
TABLE 6. Morphometric measurements (in millimetres) of the type series of T. kinangopensis sp. nov.
Colour in life. Males have a background colour of grey, although in some individuals this is replaced with tur-
quoise on the lower half of the body, head, tail and limbs. The flanks, limbs and tail are banded with a lighter yel-
low-green. Two broad stripes on the cheeks and the lateral rows of enlarged tubercles are also a light yellow-green.
The enlarged tubercles on the sides of the throat are bright yellow and the gular crest is a distinctive orange. The
eye turrets are grey-turquoise with lighter yellow-green tubercles surrounding the opening.
Females have a background colour of dark brown, a more orange-brown on the dorsal keel and the top of the
head. The flanks, legs and tail are banded with grey or pale yellow. The cheek stripes and lateral rows of tubercles
are cream or white. The enlarge tubercles on the side of the throat are yellow and the gular crest pale yellow-
orange. The eye turrets grey with green tubercles surrounding the opening to the eye.
Etymology. T. kinangopensis sp. nov. is named after the collecting locality, Kinangop Peak at the southern end
of the Aberdare Mountains, Kenya.
Distribution. T. kinangopensis sp. nov. appears to be endemic to the Kinangop Peak area at the southern end
of the Aberdare Mountains. Specimens were collected between 3500–3600m. At lower elevations (3000–3200m)
we found only T. hoehnelii. Trioceros kinangopensis appears to be absent from afroalpine vegetation in the central
Aberdare Mountains between Mutubio and Kiandogoro gates (3000–3150m). We surveyed 13km of roadside veg-
etation, which included pure tussock-grass moorland, low ericaceous scrub and tall stands of St. John's Wort
(Hypericum revolutum) and found 50 specimens of T. hoehnelii but no T. kinangopensis sp. nov.. Although Andren
(1976) reported T. schubotzi (= T. kinangopensis sp. nov.) from the northern peaks in the Aberdare Mountains, a
photograph labelled as T. schubotzi clearly shows T. hoehnelii. SVL/ tail length ratios in the same paper are within
the range of T. hoehnelii, which is relatively longer-tailed than either T. schubotzi or T. kinangopensis sp. nov..
Nevertheless, the northern peaks reach a similar altitude to Kinangop Peak (approximately 4000m) and it is possi-
ble that T. kinangopensis sp. nov. may occur there.
Ecology. Trioceros kinangopensis sp. nov.. appears to be restricted to the afroalpine zone. Specimens were
found in low ericaceous shrubs, which occur in patches in a habitat dominated by tussock-grass with scattered
clumps of Alchemilla and megaphytic Lobelia and Senecio spp..
Conservation status. The results of our field surveys suggest that T. kinangopensis sp. nov. may be restricted
to elevations above 3500m on Kinangop Peak and its range may be only 10km2. Although the distribution of T.
kinangopensis sp. nov. is completely within the Aberdare National Park, burnt woody remains of ericaceous shrubs
suggest that extensive fires have affected the entire peak. Fires are reported to occur annually in the afroalpine zone
on Mt. Kenya and may be quite extensive, sometimes burning large areas (>10km2)(Coe 1967, Bongo Woodley,
pers. comm.). There are no published reports on the frequency of fires in the afroalpine zone on Kinangop Peak,
and the impact of fires on chameleons populations in the afroalpine zone has not been studied. Fires typically result
in a total loss of surface vegetation and are likely to lead to the extinction of local chameleon populations in the
short-term. The frequency of fires and the ability of chameleons to re-colonise burnt areas may result in chame-
Type Locality Museum No. Sex SVL Tail length Head length Head width
holotype Kinangop peak NMK3071/12 male 58 51 17.1 8.7
paratype " NMK3071/1 " 52 48 15.8 8.1
" " NMK3071/2 " 53 48 16.2 9.0
" " NMK3071/3 " 49 41 15.6 8.4
" " NMK3071/5 " 63 54 18.7 8.7
" " NMK3071/7 " 48 39 17.6 9.1
" " NMK3071/11 " 57 49 16.7 8.7
" " NMK2536/1 " 54 46 16.4 8.6
" " NMK2536/2 female 61 51 19.2 10.4
" " NMK3071/6 " 60 48 18.4 9.3
" " NMK3071/8 " 47 39 14.6 8.1
" " NMK3071/9 " 56 45 17.0 8.8
STIPALA ET AL.
18 · Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press
leons being absent from much of their potential range. There may also be other long-term negative effects of fires
due to population fragmentation and loss of genetic diversity through extreme population fluctuations. Further
research is recommended to learn more about the distribution, ecology and the impact of fires on T. kinangopensis
sp. nov. and T. schubotzi. Although little in known about T. kinangopensis sp. nov., it has a very restricted distribu-
tion and lives in a habitat that is subject to fires. Therefore we suggest that under IUCN guidelines (IUCN 2010) it
may be reasonable to categorise T. kinangopensis sp. nov. as either Endangered (E) or Critically Endangered (CR).
Discussion
The mtDNA trees in this study place T. kinangopensis sp. nov. as a sister taxon to the morphologically dissimilar T.
nyirit, rather than to the morphologically similar T. schubotzi. Although statistical support for this relationship is
low, the results suggest that the morphological similarity between T. schubotzi and T. kinangopensis sp. nov. may
represent morphological convergence. Morphological convergence among unrelated evolutionary lineages has
been studied in a wide range of vertebrate organisms (Wiens 1991, Winemiller et al. 1995, Ben-Moshe et al. 2001),
including several lizard families (Carranza et al. 2008, Luxbacher & Knouft 2009, Losos 2009) and is frequently
correlated with ecological convergence (Karr & James 1975). In chameleons, molecular studies have revealed
ecomorphological convergence in head ornamentation within the genus Bradypodion, thought to be driven by a
combination of sexual and natural selection (Stuart-Fox & Moussalli 2007, Hopkins & Tolley 2011). Another study
of morphological and ecological variation across the entire Chamaeleonidae family revealed a significant
correlation between limb/ tail length and terrestrial behaviour (Bickel & Losos 2002). In relation to this study, both
T. schubotzi and T. kinangopensis sp. nov. are restricted to open shrub habitats, while T. nyirit is associated with
afromontane forest, suggesting that reduced head ornamentation is correlated with open habitats. However the
phylogenetic relationships among these three taxa are not fully resolved in either tree. Furthermore, it may also be
premature to draw any conclusions regarding potential ecomorphological convergence based on molecular trees
generated using mitochondrial markers. Mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited and introgression can result in
conflicting hypotheses about population histories, species boundaries and phylogeographic events when compared
to trees generated using multi-locus nuclear markers (Ballard & Whittock 2004, Gompert et al. 2008, Sequiera et
al. 2008, Rato et al. 2010, Hailer et al. 2012). The genus Trioceros contains a relatively large number of species
and many display elaborate horns and crests, making it an interesting group to investigate the evolutionary
processes that drive morphological diversification and speciation. However, a fully resolved multi-locus phylogeny
is needed, that includes all taxa and broad geographic sampling of widespread species, before hypotheses can be
tested.
The description of a new species of chameleon from one of the better studied massifs in Kenyan highlands
highlights the potential for further discoveries in the region. Many montane species, such as T. kinangopensis sp.
nov., are restricted to high elevations and may have escaped the attention of biologists due to their inaccessible
habitat. Unusual distribution records for T. schubotzi from Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Nguru Mountains (Loveridge
1957) have been discounted by later authors (Klaver & Böhme 1997, Spawls et al. 2002). However, photographic
evidence of chameleons from Mt. Kilimanjaro and also the Ngorongoro crater highlands suggests that chameleons
similar to T. schubotzi may represent additional undescribed taxa and warrant investigation.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the following people and institutions for their support in the field and providing access to
museum material: Colin McCarthy (BMNH), Wolfgang Böhme, Ulla Bott and Michael Barej (ZFMK), staff from
the Forestry Department, Kenya Wildlife Service and National Museums of Kenya for their support of the project
and work in the field, Njao, William Karanja, Krystal Tolley, Michelle Hares, and Daniel Pincheira-Donoso for
comments on the manuscript.
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NEW SPECIES OF CHAMELEON FROM THE ABERDARE MOUNTAINS
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APPENDIX I. Material Examined.
T. bitaeniatus: KENYA: Entasekera, Nguruman escarpment (2000m) (NMK 3030/1-2); Maralal, Samburu District (1900m)
(NMK 3065/1-3, ZFMK 70752-3); Elgeyo forest station, Marakwet District (2400m) (NMK 3041/1-3); Magadi Road,
Kajiado District (NMK 1953/1-4); TANZANIA: Mwanza, Tanzania (NMK 2154/1-2).
T. conirostratus: SUDAN: Lomoriti, southwest Imatong Mountains, Sudan (3500ft) (NMK 1949). KENYA: Alapatui, Loima
Hills (ZFMK 84820).
T. ellioti: KENYA: Nandi forest, Nandi District (NMK 2653/1-2); Kabarua forest station, Mt. Elgon District (NMK2488/1-4);
Chemisia, North Nandi forest (NMK 1271/ 1-20); Nyangores forest station, Bomet District (2280m) (NMK 2995/1-2);
Kericho forest station, Kericho District (NMK 2989/1-2). UGANDA: Ibanda, Ruwenzori Mountains (4500ft) (NMK
1078-80), Uganda.
T. hanangensis: TANZANIA: Mt. Hanang (ZFMK 82368-9).
T. hoehnelii: KENYA: Nabkoi forest station, Uasin Gishu District (NMK 3042/1-8); Sururu forest station, Nakuru District
(NMK 3044/1-8); Eldoret, Uasin Gishu District (NMK 3047/ 1-5); Ngare Ndare forest, Mt. Kenya (NMK 3066/1-4); Lim-
uru, Kiambu District (NMK 687-9); Kiandogoro Moorland, Aberdare Mountains (NMK 761-769); Mt. Elgon (3500m),
Trans-Nzoia District (NMK 2987/1-9; Nyahururu, Nyandarua District (NMK 2962/1-4); Naro Moru Met. Station
STIPALA ET AL.
22 · Zootaxa 3391 © 2012 Magnolia Press
(3000m), Mt. Kenya (NMK2949/1-2); ); Nyangores forest station, Bomet District (2280m) (NMK 2994/1-2); Sururu for-
est station, Nakuru District (NMK 3044/1-8)
T. kinangopensis sp. nov.: see species description.
T. kinetensis: SUDAN: Talanga forest (ZFMK 29712); Imatong Mountains (ZFMK 25670-1, ZFMK 34531).
T. marsabitensis. KENYA: Mt. Marsabit (ZFMK 55602, NMK 2580)
T. narraioca. KENYA: Mt. Kulal, Marsabit District (NMK 2521/1-8, ZFMK 73956-62)
T. ntunte. KENYA: Mt. Nyiru (ZFMK 74221, ZFMK 82148)
T. nyirit. KENYA: southern slopes of Mtelo massif (2200-3100m) (NMK 3166/1-4); Gatau Pass, Mtelo massif (2200-2500m)
(NMK 2990/1-3 & 5). Kaptalamwa and Kapiego, Cherangani Hills (2900-3000m) (NMK 2998/1-11); Sondang (3050m),
Cherangani Hills (BMNH 1969.2588-9, BMNH 1969.2591, BMNH 1969.2595-6).
T. rudis. UGANDA: Ruwenzori trail above Ibanda, Uganda (NMK 1983/1-4); Gorilla reserve, Rwanda (8-10,000ft) (NMK
1151/1-2); Nyakalengijo, Ruwenzori (ZFMK 63219-22). Mt. Ruwenzori (ZFMK 63222 & 63224); east Ruwenzori
(ZFMK 66283-4); Uganda Ruwenzori (ZFMK 65182, 64754). Visoke Karasimbi, Virunga National Park (BMNH
1978.1475-7), Mikeno Karasimbi (BMNH 1931.10.3.12-14).
T. schubotzi: Mt. Kenya (14,000ft) (BMNH 1932.5.2.110); Mt. Kenya (9500ft) (BMNH 1950.1.2.62); Sirimon route, NWest
Mt. Kenya (11,000ft) (NMK1599/1-5); Sirimon route, NWest Mt. Kenya (11,000ft) (NMK 1954/2, 5); Mt. Kenya, Lai-
kipia Disitrct (3588m) (NMK 2325); Old Moses Campsite, Sirimon route, Mt. Kenya, Mt. Kenya N. P. (NMK 2637/1, 2, 4,
6); Sirimon route (moorland) (3000-3200m) (NMK 2971/1-2); Old Moses Campsite, Sirimon route, Mt. Kenya (NMK
3170); Marania (NMK3172/3); Chogoria route, beyond gate (NMK 3196/1-4); Sirimon route (3800m) (NMK3200/1-2);
Mt. Kenya (ZFMK 48705).
T. sternfeldi. TANZANIA: Mt. Meru crater, Arusha (NMK1300-2); Mt. Meru (ZFMK 82250); Mt. Kilimanjaro (ZFMK 70527-
8); Laikinoi, Mt. Meru (BMNH 1958.1.3.23-4).
