Brookesia


Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, endemic to Madagascar, that range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons. Brookesia includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus Brookesia are largely brown and most are essentially terrestrial.
A significant percentage of the species in the genus were only identified to science within the last three decades, and a number of species that still have not received a scientific name are known to exist. Most inhabit very small ranges in areas that are difficult to access, and due to their small size and secretive nature, they have been relatively poorly studied compared to their larger relatives.
Brookesia are abundant in low-disturbance riparian zones and low-disturbance rainforests. Brookesia are scarce in high-disturbance forests recovering from burning.

Etymology

The generic name Brookesia is in honor of British naturalist Joshua Brookes.

Conservation status

Most Brookesia are on CITES Appendix II, the only exception being B. perarmata on Appendix I. Consequently, a special permit is required to import any of the below species from their native Madagascar, and typically no permit is issued for B. perarmata.

Species

The genus Brookesia contains the following 30 species which are recognized as being valid.
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Brookesia.