A long-nosed chameleon hid its true identity for 150 years

Genetic and anatomical studies now show that the reptile long referred to as the Pinocchio chameleon is not the species scientists thought it was. According to the research team, it represents a completely new species, which they named Calumma pinocchio so that its scientific and common names align.

Additional Hidden Species Within Nose Chameleons

By analyzing DNA from historically collected specimens, the researchers uncovered even more complexity within the group. Their work revealed a second previously unrecognized species, Calumma hofreiteri, which had been classified for years as Calumma nasutum because of similarities in the nasal appendage and other visible traits.

“The genetic analyses are conclusive: the nose chameleons have virtually fooled previous research,” explains first author Dr. Frank Glaw from the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History (SNSB). “Our study also revealed that the nasal appendages can change quickly in terms of length, shape, and color. Their evolution is possibly driven by the respective preferences of females in mate selection.”

Using Museomics to Identify Species From the Past

To update the classification of nose chameleons, the team applied a museomics approach, a method that allows scientists to extract DNA from long-preserved museum specimens. The oldest sample in the project was a chameleon collected in 1836. “The study shows the great potential of the new museomics methods to correctly identify historically collected specimens especially in species complexes,” notes Prof. Miguel Vences from the Technical University of Braunschweig.

With these two newly described species, Madagascar is now known to host exactly 100 chameleon species, contributing to a global total of 236.