Furcifer major is considered by P. Necas (1999)to be a separate species, F. major, but that status has not, to our knowledge, been formalized and Klaver and Boehme (1997) consider it to be a subspecies, F. lateralis major. It differs from F. lateralis lateralis primarily in size. While F. lateralis reaches lengths of only 8 inches, F. major may reach lengths of 12-14 inches. Endemic to the southwest coast of Madagascar, F. major inhabits the bushes of dry forests. Little information is available concerning this species but the assumption is that it should be treated similarly to F. lateralis (q.v.).