No lie. The long-nosed Pinocchio chameleon is multiple species.
For almost 150 years, zoologists have been capturing the chameleon Pinocchio (Caluma gallus) at their nominal value. However, a recent review detailed in Salamandra, the German journal of herpetology reveals that the chameleon is actually several species with elongated snouts worthy of this nickname.
More than 40 percent of the world’s 236 known chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar, located off the east coast of Africa. Reptiles are often recognizable for a variety of reasons, including their ballistic tongues that they use to suck in prey, their color-changing abilities, and independently moving eyes that give them stereoscopic vision. But the male chameleon Pinocchio has another striking feature: a very long, bumpy nose.
First described in 1877 and also known as the spear-nosed or blade-nosed chameleon, C. gallus owes its name to the Latin word meaning rooster. While it’s an understandable comparison, the lizard ultimately became better known for its resemblance to the famous Italian puppet prone to lies.
For decades, researchers knew that the shape and size of the Pinocchio chameleon’s nasal appendage fluctuated from animal to animal, but thought it was simply a unique physical quirk. Using a technique known as museomics, a team from Germany’s Bavarian State Natural History Collections obtained and studied DNA sequences collected from ancient museum specimens. One of these precious samples dated back to 1836. It was only after traveling back in time using DNA that they realized the taxonomic error dating back almost a century and a half.
“The genetic analyzes are conclusive: nose-nosed chameleons have virtually fooled previous research,” Frank Glaw, co-author of the study, said in a statement.
Glaw explained that the team’s study also confirmed that each chameleon’s nose can change rapidly in terms of color, shape and length.
“Their evolution is perhaps driven by females’ respective preferences in mate selection,” he added.
As it stands, some lizards were previously considered C. gallus are now reclassified as Calumma pinocchio. Additionally, a second new species called Calumma hofreiteri was established apart from another chameleon, Calumma nasutum.
“The study shows the great potential of new museum methods to correctly identify historically collected specimens, especially in species complexes,” added Miguel Vences, co-author of the study and zoologist at the Technical University of Braunschweig.
Although the total number of chameleons known in Madagascar now exceeds exactly 100 distinct species, many of their current populations continue to decline. Regardless of its taxonomy, the IUCN says the Pinocchio chameleon remains endangered.
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