Rhampholeon
Rhampholeon | |
---|---|
Rhampholeon temporalis | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Subphylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Suborder: | |
Infraorder: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | Rhampholeon Günther, 1874
|
Rhampholeon is a genus of small chameleons, commonly known as pygmy chameleons or African leaf chameleons, found in central East Africa (extending slightly into adjacent DR Congo). They are found in forests, woodlands, thickets, and savanna, and most species are restricted to highlands. They are brown, grey, or green, and typically seen at low levels in bushes, or on the ground among grasses or leaf litter.
Taxonomy
Until recently, the members of the genus Rieppeleon were commonly included in Rhampholeon, instead.
Species
The following 19 species are recognized as being valid.[1]
- Rhampholeon acuminatus Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006
- Rhampholeon beraduccii Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006
- Rhampholeon boulengeri Steindachner, 1911 – Boulenger's pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon bruessoworum Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014
- Rhampholeon chapmanorum Tilbury, 1992
- Rhampholeon gorongosae Broadley 1971 – Gorongosa pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon hattinghi Tilbury & Tolley, 2015
- Rhampholeon marshalli Boulenger, 1906 – Marshall's pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon maspictus Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014
- Rhampholeon moyeri Menegon, Salvidio & Tilbury, 2002
- Rhampholeon nchisiensis (Loveridge, 1953) – pitless pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon nebulauctor Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014
- Rhampholeon platyceps Günther, 1893
- Rhampholeon spectrum (Buchholz, 1874) – spectral pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon spinosus (Matschie, 1892) – rosette-nosed chameleon
- Rhampholeon temporalis (Matschie, 1892) – Usambara pitted pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon tilburyi Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014
- Rhampholeon uluguruensis Tilbury & Emmrich, 1996 – Uluguru pygmy chameleon
- Rhampholeon viridis Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Rhampholeon.
References
- ^ "Rhampholeon ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
- Branch WR, Bayliss J, Tolley KA [in French] (2014). "Pygmy chameleons of the Rhampholeon platyceps compex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae): Description of four new species from isolated 'sky islands' of northern Mozambique". Zootaxa. 3814: 1–36. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3814.1.1.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Günther A (1874). "Descriptions of some new or imperfectly known Species of Reptiles from the Camaroon Mountains". Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1874: 442-445. (Rhampholeon, new genus, p. 444).
- Spawls S, Drewes R, Ashe J (2002). A Field Guide to the Reptiles of East Africa. Köln: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-656470-1.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Tilbury, Colin (2010). Chameleons of Africa, An Atlas including the chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Frankfurt: Edition Chimaira.