A Spectacular Dwarf on the High Plateau

In the hills of Ambohitantely and the surrounding pockets of remnant high‑plateau forest, a spectacular chameleon remained almost unknown: a dwarf population of Calumma cf. brevicorne living above 1600 meters. These high‑elevation enclaves host individuals that differ strikingly from other populations of the species. They are smaller, more compact, with a distinctly shorter rostral appendage often flushed in red, and body coloration showing unique local patterns shaped by the cool plateau climate.

A recent genome‑scale study (Vences et al. 2026, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution) demonstrated how complex the systematics of the brevicorne group truly are. It also showed clearly that C. crypticum is very likely not valid. Counting the Ambohitantely population as crypticum makes no sense. In the phylogeny, this population clustered near the Andasibe clade but remained clearly separated, suggesting long isolation and possible evolutionary independence.

In a landscape where forest survives only in fragments, the Ambohitantely dwarf Calumma cf. brevicorne may represent an undescribed form — a lineage shaped quietly by altitude, isolation, and time.