Trioceros hoehnelii
{{Short description|Species of lizard}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Lizard kenya.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Trioceros
| species = hoehnelii
| authority = (Steindachner, 1891)
| synonyms = *Chamael[e]on höhnelii
{{small|Steindachner, 1891}}
- Chamaeleon bitaeniatus hohneli
{{small|— F. Werner, 1911}} - Chamaeleo (Trioceros) hoehnelii
{{small|— Nečas, 1999}} - Trioceros hoehnelii
{{small|— Tilbury & Tolley, 2009}}
| synonyms_ref = {{NRDB species |genus=Trioceros |species=hoehnelii }}
}}
Trioceros hoehnelii, commonly known as von Höhnel's chameleon, the helmeted chameleon, and the high-casqued chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern Africa.
Etymology
Both the specific name, hoehnelii, and one of the common names, "von Höhnel's chameleon", are in honor of Austrian explorer Ludwig von Höhnel (1857–1942).{{Cite journal |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/111266#page/15/mode/1up|author=Steindachner F|author-link=Franz Steindachner|year=1891|title=Über einege neue und seltene Reptilien- und Amphibien-Arten. Bericht über die von Herrn Linienschiffsleutenant Ritter von Höhnel während der Graf Samuel Telekis ostafrikanischer Expedition gesammelten Reptilien |journal=Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften |series= Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. Abteilung I |volume=100 |issue=1 |pages=291–316 + Plates I–III |language=German }} (Chamael[e]on höhnelii, new species, pp. 309–311 + Plate I, figures 1, 1a)Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (Chameleo hoehnelii, p. 124).
Geographic range
Identification
T. hoehnelii is a small to medium-size chameleon, growing up to 10 inches (25.4 cm) in total length (including tail). Coloration is highly variable across its geographic range. During morning hours, it may be seen basking in the sunlight, almost completely black in color to capture heat energy from the sunlight. This species has a single horn on the rostrum, a serrated back crest, and a spiny throat crest.{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pf8i0quoBgUC&pg=PA72 |title=Chameleons: Everything about Purchase, Care, Nutrition, and Breeding |first1=Richard D. |last1=Bartlett |first2=Patricia |last2=Bartlett |pages=73 |year=2005 |publisher=Barron's Educational Series |isbn=0-7641-2863-9 }}. Males are typically larger than females with a larger casque, horn, and enlarged tail base.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
Behavior
Image:Von_Hohnel%27s_Chameleon.JPGMost chameleons in east Africa tend to be territorial and the high-casqued chameleon is no different. If males are placed together, they will hiss at each other, turn black, and inflate their bodies to make them look larger. Dominant males display brightly colored patterns that differ from females or subordinate males, which often persist until they are defeated during a courtship battle.{{citation |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaKXzaBVpisC&pg=PA351 |title=Biology of the Reptilia |first=Carl |last=Gans |author-link=Carl Gans |pages=350–351 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-226-28124-8 }}.
Reproduction
T. hoehnelli bears live young via ovoviviparity. Sexually mature adults form stable pair bonds during the mating season, which endure throughout the five months of pregnancy. After the birth, the pair usually splits up.{{cite journal|vauthors=Toxopeus AG, Kruijt JP, Hillenius D|title=Pair-bonding in chameleons|journal=Naturwissenschaften|date=1988|volume=75|issue=5|pages=268–269|doi=10.1007/BF00378024|bibcode=1988NW.....75..268T |s2cid=7929382}}
Diet
The high-casqued chameleon eats most small insects and spiders, and does so by extending the tongue to capture the prey. It is capable of extending the tongue more than a complete body length.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}