Two-banded chameleon
Furcifer balteatus, also known as the two-banded chameleon or the rainforest chameleon, is a species of chameleon that is endemic to Madagascar. It was described by André Marie Constant Duméril and Gabriel Bibron in 1851. Distribution and habitat. "Furcifer balteatus" is endemic to southeast Madagascar. It can be found in Ranomafana where the average temperature is between and the rainfall is roughly per annum. It has been found over an estimated area of but has a "patchy distribution" and is believed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be decreasing in population. Most sightings  were at a height of above sea level but some were at lower altitudes. It is a rare species and most of the sightings were of single individuals. Some surveys have failed to locate any individuals and it is ranked as an Endangered species by the IUCN. The major threat to this species is degradation of its forest habitat. It is a CITES-listed species and export from Madagascar has been banned since 1994. Nevertheless, it is believed to be highly desirable to the pet trade and illegal exports are a threat. Description. Though basically green, "Furcifer balteatus" is variable  in colour and is well camouflaged in its arboreal surroundings. It often has darker green diagonal stripes with paler bands between and usually has a characteristic buff-coloured diagonal streak. The body length can be as much as and the tail as least as long again. The males have a pair of horny projections long on their heads. It is commonly known as the two-banded chameleon or the rainforest chameleon. Taxonomy. The species was initially described in Duméril & Duméril 1851: 32 by Duméril and Bibron. It was described as the "Dicranosaura bifurca var. crassicornis" by Gray in 1865, and  then as "Chamaeleon balteatus" in 1865: 347 by the same person. It was next described by Angel in 1942 as "Chamaeleo balteus". Werner in 1911: 27 later described it under "Chamaeleon bifidus", and then it was described as "Chamaeleo bifidus" fifty-five years later in Mertens 1966. Brygoo and Domergue described it as "Chamaeleo balteatus" in 1969, and then Brygoo described it under the same name in 1971 and 1978. In 1986, it became known as the "Furcifer balteatus". Klaver and Böhme described it as this in 1986, and it was later described under the same name by Glaw and  Vences in 1994. "Furcifer balteatus" was most recently described by Necas in 1999 as "Furcifer balteatus".