Calumma malthe

CITES quotas
2011-13 no specimens, 2014-22 each 500 specimens, 2023 only 250 specimens for legal export

First description:IUCN Red List: least concern

(Günther, 1879)

Origin of the species name:

The German zoologist Albert Carl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther, then Director of the Zoological Department of the Natural History Museum of London (Great Britain), named Calumma malthe in 1879 in a very short description. How he came to the name malthe is unfortunately unknown.

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Calumma malthe

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Andasibe-Mantadia: -18.832866, 48.469620
Anjanaharibe-Sud: -14.721097, 49.463196
Analamazaotra: -18.945258, 48.433228
Marojejy: -14.418720, 49.720001
Ambohijanahary: -17.401753, 48.383102
Tsaratanana: -13.779402, 48.959198
Moramanga: -18.947100, 48.230400

Distribution:

This fascinating chameleon species inhabits the eastern rainforests and mountain cloud forests of Andasibe, Anjanaharibe-Sud, and Marojejy national park. The places we found them always had very dense vegetation and wide inside evergreen forests. We could not find any of these chameleons outside of very dense vegetation. During the daytime, this species is hardly visible. So if you like to find this species, try it at night.

Appearance and size:

This chameleon species is easy to identify by its large occipital lobes and the characteristic nose appendage in males. Coloration is mostly green-greyish with grass green parts on the flanks and the occipital lobes. Total length in males is 31 cm, and 28 cm in females. During mating season (January to April), females have occipital lobes surrounded by blue color and blue eyelids. The throat of both genders has one or two enlarged scales, the dorsal crest some spines of which each third or fourth is larger than the others.

Good to know:

When stressed or in an aggressive mood, these chameleons spread off their occipital lobes so they look much larger and more impressive. Of course, they also hiss and throw by moving sidewards.

 

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Average temperature 23 24 23 23 22 19 19 19 20 21 22 23
Minimum temperature20 20 20 19 18 15 15 15 15 16 18 19
Maximum temperature 27 27 27 27 25 23 23 23 24 25 26 27
Rain days 27 24 26 19 17 18 21 20 15 16 20 25

We have collected the data given above over several years with thermometers and hygrometers at the finding places of the chameleons. "Average temperature" means that values of a whole month have been calculated to one average value per month. For example all measured minimum temperature values of February have been calculated to one average minimum temperature for February. In plain language, this means single peak values of a day may be a little higher or lower than the average minimum and maximum temperatures. It is possible that a location has an average maximum temperature of 29°C, but one day during that month it had 33°C or even 35°C there.

Three examples of a daily course of temperatures in Andasibe in the rainy season can be found below. Both were recorded with data loggers in 2023.

2023 Temperaturen in Andasibe 2023 Temperaturen in Andasibe 2023 Temperaturen in Andasibe

The region around Andasibe with the associated forests of Mantadia, Mitsinjo and Analamazaotra lie in the eastern highlands of Madagascar at altitudes between 900 and 1250 m above sea level. During the day, the temperature may sometimes exceed 25°C, but the thermometer rarely climbs above 30°C, or only in sunspots. At night, temperatures plummet, especially during the dry season. 10° to 15° degrees are the rule.

Humidity in the rainforests around Andasibe is high all year round. During the rainy season it rains extensively every day, sometimes the rain lasts for days. But the dry season is not massively different either, except that it has slightly cooler temperatures overall and reaches lower temperatures at night. It still rains at least every other day. Rain, high humidity and a drop in temperature at night are therefore the central points of Andasibe's climate. In 2023, we measured relative humidity with data loggers on different days in Andasibe in the rainy season, the data can be found below.

2023 Luftfeuchtigkeit in Andasibe 2023 Luftfeuchtigkeit in Andasibe 2023 Luftfeuchtigkeit in Andasibe
2014 UVI Andasibe 2016 UVI Andasibe Tageszeit = day time, Sonne = sun, Halbschatten = half shade, Schatten = shade

We have measured UVB data with a Solarmeter 6.5 in spring (March, April) at the peak of activity of chameleons in Madagascar. We always measured the values that a chameleon could maximally reach in its habitat.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Morning 23,2 23,4 22,0 22,1 20,5 16,0 16,3 16,5 17,4 16,7 21,2 -
Midday 25,4 25,3 24,5 22,5 20,2 16,5 16,3 17,7 18,3 18,0 21,4 -
Evening 25,5 25,1 25,0 25,3 20,8 17,2 16,1 17,0 19,6 23,0 22,0 -

Between 21 March 2018 and 05 February 2019, we measured ground temperatures in the rainforest of Andasibe and surrounding areas (Analamazaotra, Andasibe, V.O.I.M.M.A. and Mitsinjo) about every other day - the table is the result of these measurements. Only in December no measurements were taken. detailed review can be found here. In total, we took 418 soil temperature measurements and measured an estimated 70 different locations in Andasibe and the surrounding area at a depth of 20 cm.

In 2023, in addition to other climate data, we also measured the air pressure at the locations we visited in Madagascar. The following data is from different days during the rainy season in Andasibe. On the X-axis is the time of day or night. In Madagascar, the day begins around 6 am, and night falls at 6 pm. The Y-axis shows the atmospheric pressure in hPa.

2023 Luftdruck in Andasibe 2023 Luftdruck in Andasibe 2023 Luftdruck in Andasibe

Habitat:

The following photos show extracts from the habitat of Calumma malthe in the region around Andasibe. The species prefers to be found near small rivers keeping humidity always high. Calumma malthe lives exclusively in the middle of the rainforest, between epiphytes, ferns, lianas, and mossy branches. It prefers narrower branches of large trees, where the undergrowth is particularly dense and one can hardly see anything because of the confusion of branches.

Hereinafter you can find some 360° pictures from Andasibe region and Vohimana. You can move inside these pictures via mouse click in all directions. If you click on the Theta logo, a new window with an enlarged view will open. You will also have the opportunity to look at the pictures in full-screen mode. Enjoy!

Regenwald im Reservat V.O.I.M.M.A., Andasibe, Region Alaotra-Mangoro, östliches Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2017 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald im Reservat V.O.I.M.M.A., Andasibe, Region Alaotra-Mangoro, östliches Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2017 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald im Reservat V.O.I.M.M.A., Andasibe, Region Alaotra-Mangoro, östliches Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2017 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald im Reservat V.O.I.M.M.A., Andasibe, Region Alaotra-Mangoro, östliches Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2017 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Regenwald im Schutzgebiet Maromizaha, Region Alaotra-Mangoro, östliches Hochland, Madagaskar, April 2018 – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

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