NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Furcifer monoceras (Boettger, 1913)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The long-nosed rhinoceros chameleon (Furcifer monoceras) is a species of chameleon endemic to Madagascar. It is capable of changing colors, but usually only displays one color all throughout their body. They can be all-orange, all light brown, all-purple, all red with some green lines, and all green with brown stripes.
They have three toes stuck together on one side of their foot, and on the other side, they have two stuck together toes. They rely on camouflage to catch their food with a long sticky tongue. Their tail is prehensile like most other chameleons in the Furcifer genus. They are arboreal.
It is only known from one holotype specimen from Betsako, east of Mahajanga. Long considered conspecific with the rhinoceros chameleon (F. rhinoceratus), a 2018 study of minor details of its morphology indicated that it was a distinct species.
Wikipedia contributors, Furcifer monoceras; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:28:36.471416+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Furcifer monoceras (Boettger, 1913)
- Name authority
- (Boettger, 1913)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Furcifer
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyChamaeleonidae
- genusFurcifer
- speciesFurcifer monoceras (Boettger, 1913)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Furcifer. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Furcifer polleni (Peters, 1874) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Lesser ChameleonFurcifer minor (Günther, 1879) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Furcifer bifidus (Brongniart, 1800) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Green chameleonFurcifer viridis Florio, Ingram, Rakotondravony, Louis Jr & Raxworthy, 2012 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhinoceros chameleonFurcifer rhinoceratus (Gray, 1845) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Campan’s chameleonFurcifer campani (Grandidier, 1872) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Timon’s chameleonFurcifer timoni Glaw, Köhler & Vences, 2009 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Furcifer cephalolepis (Günther, 1880) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Labord’s chameleonFurcifer labordi (Grandidier, 1872) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Furcifer balteatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1851) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Wills’ chameleonFurcifer willsii (Günther, 1890) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Furcifer verrucosus (Cuvier, 1829) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Chamaeleon monoceras Boettger, 1913 Boettger, 1913 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Furcifer&species=monoceras Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:889MJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.