Nadzikambia Explained

Nadzikambia (derived from their name in Chichewa) is a genus of chameleons. It includes two species of small, plesiomorphic chameleons from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi and Mount Mabu in Mozambique.

Initially only a single species was recognized and placed in Chamaeleo. It was for some time moved to the South African dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion) by some (Klaver & Böhme, 1986). This was criticized because plesiomorphies cannot be used to define clades, and eventually turned out to be in error. In 2006, it was moved to its own genus Nadzikambia.^[1] In 2010, the second species of Nadzikambia was described.^[2]

Species

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Nadzikambia baylissi		Mount Mabu in Mozambique.
	Nadzikambia mlanjensis		Mount Mulanje in Malawi.

References

• (1986): Phylogeny and classification of the Chamaeleonidae (Sauria) with special reference to hemipenis morphology. Bonner Zoologische Monographien 22: 1–64.
• (2007): Corrections to species names recently placed in Kinyongia and Nadzikambia (Reptilia: Chamaeleonidae). Zootaxa 1426: 68.

Notes and References

1. Tolley, Krystal A.; Tilbury, Colin R. & Branch, William R. (2004): Phylogenetics of the southern African dwarf chameleons, Bradypodion (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30: 354–365. PDF fulltext
2. (2010): A new species of chameleon (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae: Nadzikambia) from Mount Mabu, central Mozambique. Afr. J. Herpetol. 59(2): 157–172