Chamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865

Chamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865: 346 —Locus typicus: “ Madagascar ” (in error). Chamaeleo cucullatus Gray, 1831 .— Duméril & Duméril, 1851: 33. Chamaeleon verrucosus Blyth, 1854: 646 (nomen oblitum). Chamaeleon [sic] monachus Gray, 1865: 470 pl. 31.

Chamaeleon [sic] monachus .— Blanford, 1881: 464.

Chamaeleo monachus .— Mertens, 1966: 20.

Chamaeleo (Chamaeleo) monachus .— Klaver & Böhme, 1986: 59. Chamaeleo monarchus [sic].— Doe, 1992: 131.

Chameleo [sic] monachus .— Showler, 1994: 10, pl. 3.

Chamaeleo monachus .— Wranik, 1994: 15, photo.

Chamaeleo (Chamaeleo) monachus .— Necas, 1994: 102. Chamaeleo monachus .—Wranik, 1997: 172, fig. 11.

Chamaeleon [sic] monachus .—Rösler, 1998: 34.

Chamaeleo monachus .— Wranik, 1998a: 150.

Chameleo [sic] monachus .— Arnold, 2009: 11.

According to Boulenger (1903), the species is common across the Island of Socotra, especially where the vegetation is abundant, from sea level to 1000 m. Most of the bibliographic data were collected in the central and eastern part of the island, with a single record from the western coast, at Qalansiyah (Steindachner, 1903).

Habitat. palm groves, Tamarix bushlands, Ficus trees along wadis, Euclea shrublands and low bushlands. The species was observed on the whole island from the sea level (S of Shu’ab and Noged—Eco-lodge) up to 1004 m at Qaroni (SW Diksam plateau).

Original data. Fig. 3. NE Coast, Timeroh area, Wadi Di-Fa'rhoh, Firmihin, Dheroh, Diksam plateau, SW Diksam, Central Noged, Qabheten area, Shu'ab area, Qeysoh, Qalansiyah, Terr Ditrur, Skand, Wadi Ayhaft, Hadiboh plain.

Bibliographic data. Blanford (1881), Boulenger (1903), Steindachner (1903), Showler (1994).

Wranik (1998a), Schätti & Desvoignes (1999), Rösler & Wranik (2004).

General distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Remarks. According to the phylogenetic tree by Macey et al. (2008) C. monachus is the basal taxon to all the other species of the Chamaeleo chamaeleon species group; it originated by an early vicariant isolation of a Socotran population from African, Mediterranean and Arabian populations, when Socotra detached from the other Gondwanan plates. The type locality of this species is obviously wrong as already noted by Boulenger (1887) and discussed by Hillenius (1959) and by Schätti and Desvoignes (1999).