Four new chameleon species discovered in Mozambique; one named after Jane Goodall

(From left) Nadzikambia goodallae, Nadzikambia evanescens, Nadzikambia franklinae and Nadzikambia nubila. PICS COURTESY/Krystal Tolley

Surveys of mountains in Mozambique have identified four new species of Sylvan Chameleons. Nadzikambia goodallae, found on Mount Ribaue, honors Dr Jane Goodall and her influential research on African chimpanzees.

The Mount Namuli species, Nadzikambia franklinae, recognises Rosalind Franklin, whose work on the structure of DNA helped establish methods used to distinguish the chameleons.

A species from Mount Inago was named Nadzikambia evanescens, meaning "vanishing," as a warning about its shrinking habitat.

The fourth species, collected on Mount Chiperone, Chiperone sylvan chameleon (Nadzikambia nubila) refers to ‘Ciperoni' - a local term for the cloud-filled conditions that produce orographic rainfall when moist air rises over the mountain.

The name nubila comes from the Latin nubilus, meaning "cloudy".

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever