The Parson's Chameleon, Calumma parsonii, is not one species but probably several

Calumma parsonii is a species of chameleon native to Madagascar. It is also known as Parson's chameleon. This largest and striking chameleon is known for its vibrant coloration and long horns on its head. Calumma parsonii is primarily found in the rainforests and montane forests of eastern Madagascar. The lowland population on Ile St. Marie (Nosy Boraha) seems to be extinct or near extinction same as many original populations on the eastern slopes of the central Malagasy massive.

Despite of the fact, the Parson's chameleon is the largest chameleon of all and is notoriously known, we have very little data about its natural history, including its systematic. It is well known, there are several populations differing in size, development of dorsal crest and coloration; they live alopatrically, and there is no known genetic exchange amongst the forms. They have, however, not been formally, described, yet, with the exception of the dwarf created form from Perinet: Calumma (parsonii) cristifer.

The known forms are as follows:

C.(p.) cristifer from Analamazaotra and Mantadia

C.(p.p.) "ORANGE EYE" from lowlands to middle elevations around 500m a.s.l. around the NE coast of Madagascar from Mananara in the north to as far south as Ampanakary (about 50km S of Toamasina - Tamatave),

C.(p.p.) "YELLOW GIANT" from highlands of Vohimana and Anosibe,

C.(p.p.) "YELLOW LIP" also refereed as "WHITE LIP" from highlands of Ranomafana and Ifanadiana,

C.(p.p.) "GREEN GIANT" from highlands of the Masoala peninsula and the northern shore of the Bay of Antongil as far south as Voloina,

C.(p.p.) "CHERRY EYE" of unknown origin,

C.(p.p.) "BETAOLANA" or "CRESTED GIANT" from Ambolokopatrika/Betaolana Corridor between the massifs of Marojejy and Anjanaharibe-Sud,

Some reports suspect the presence of C.p. as far NW as Tsaratanana and Manongarivo

and the list might not even be complete.

Unfortunately, due to habitat destruction, deforestation and change of the indigenous rainforests and montane forests to agrar land, some of the populations disappeared even before we discovered them for the science. The biggest wavenof defirestation took place in the last decade of the 19th and first two decades of the 20th century, turning the habitats by the french colonial powers mainly to coffee plantations and lately to agrar land, typically with lots of Mango, Eucalyptus and Pine trees.

In fact, all the known forms represent allopatric clearly separated forms with genetic isolation and diagnostic morphological features which can be considered at least as "species in statu nascendi" and therefore, they deserve taxonomic attention to be formally described for the purpose of genetic protection in captivity and conservation in the wild.

Fortunately, the breeders community tends to respect the individual forms and the insaneity of crossing forms same as in Furcifer pardalis seemingly does not happen.

It is classified as "Near thretened" by IUCN, listed in Appendix II of CITES, with yearly quotas of 300 legally collected and exported specimens...