NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Spiny Leaf Chameleon
Brookesia decaryi Angel, 1939
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.
Decary's leaf chameleon (Brookesia decaryi), Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Previously identified as stump-tailed chameleon (Brookesia superciliaris). Mark Scherz has identified this as most likely being Brookesia decaryi or Brookesia brunoi. Neither have been recorded in this locality.
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Brookesia decaryi is a species of chameleon, which is endemic to Madagascar, and is ranked as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It was initially described in 1939 by Fernand Angel. B. decaryi is commonly known as Decary's leaf chameleon, spiny leaf chameleon, or Decary's pygmy chameleon.
Wikipedia contributors, Brookesia decaryi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:59:05.361466+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Brookesia decaryi Angel, 1939
- Name authority
- Angel, 1939
- Common name
- Spiny Leaf Chameleon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Brookesia
- 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
- genusBrookesia
- speciesBrookesia decaryi Angel, 1939
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Brookesia. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Brookesia betschi Brygoo, Blanc & Domergue, 1974 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Fito Leaf ChameleonBrookesia lambertoni Brygoo & Domergue, 1970 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia ramanantsoai Brygoo & Domergue, 1975 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia tedi Scherz, Köhler, Rakotoarison, Glaw & Vences, 2019 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia nana Glaw, Köhler, Hawlitschek, Ratsoavina, Rakotoarison, Scherz & Vences, 2021 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia nofy Rakotoarison, Hasiniaina, Glaw & Vences, 2024 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia antakarana Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia bonsi Ramanantsoa, 1980 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Toothed Leaf ChameleonBrookesia dentata Mocquard, 1900 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia desperata Glaw, Köhler, Townsend & Vences, 2012 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Northem Leaf ChameleonBrookesia ebenaui (Boettger, 1880) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Brookesia karchei Brygoo, Blanc & Domergue, 1970 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=Brookesia&species=decaryi 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.
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:NDR5. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.