Rhampholeon

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Cladus: Unidentata Episquamata Toxicofera
Subordo: Iguania
Infraordo: Acrodonta

Familia: Chamaeleonidae
Subfamilia: Brookesiinae
Genus: Rhampholeon
Species (14): R. acuminatus – R. beraduccii – R. boulengeri – R. bruessoworum – R. chapmanorum – R. gorongosae – R. marshalli – R. maspictus – R. moyeri – R. nchisiensis – R. nebulauctor – R. platyceps – R. spectrum – R. spinosus – R. temporalis – R. tilburyi – R. uluguruensis – R. viridis
Name

Rhampholeon Günther, 1874: 443
References

Günther, A. 1874: Description of some new or imperfectly known species of Reptiles from the Cameroon Mountains. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1874: 442–445. [original description: p. 443] BHL
Branch, W.R.; Bayliss, J.; Tolley, K.A. 2014: Pygmy chameleons of the Rhampholeon platyceps complex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae): Description of four new species from isolated ‘sky islands’ of northern Mozambique. Zootaxa 3814(1): 1–36. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3814.1.1 Reference page.
Fisseha, M.; Mariaux, J.; Menegon, M. 2013: The “Rhampholeon uluguruensis complex” (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae) and the taxonomic status of the pygmy chameleons in Tanzania. Zootaxa 3746(3): 439–453. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3746.3.3 Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: Pygmy chameleons; African leaf chameleons

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.

Species

The following 19 species are recognized as being valid.[1]

Rhampholeon acuminatus Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006 – Nguru pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon beraduccii Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006 – Beraducci’s pygmy chameleon, Mahenge pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon boulengeri Steindachner, 1911 – Boulenger's pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon bruessoworum Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014 – Mount Inago pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon chapmanorum Tilbury, 1992 – Chapmans's pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon gorongosae Broadley 1971 – Mount Gorongosa pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon hattinghi Tilbury & Tolley, 2015
Rhampholeon marshalli Boulenger, 1906 – Marshall's pygmy chameleon, Marshall's leaf chameleon, Marshall's dwarf chameleon, Marshall's stumptail chameleon
Rhampholeon maspictus Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014 – Mount Mabu pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon moyeri Menegon, Salvidio & Tilbury, 2002 – Moyer’s pygmy chameleon, Udzungwa pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon nchisiensis (Loveridge, 1953) – South African stumptail chameleon, Nchisi pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon nebulauctor Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014 – Mount Chiperone pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon platyceps Günther, 1893 – Mount Mulanje pygmy chameleon, Malawi stumptail chameleon
Rhampholeon spectrum (Buchholz, 1874) – spectral pygmy chameleon, western pygmy chameleon, Cameroon stumptail chameleon
Rhampholeon spinosus (Matschie, 1892) – rosette-nosed pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon temporalis (Matschie, 1892) – Usambara stumptail chameleon, East Usambara pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon tilburyi Branch, Bayliss & Tolley, 2014 – Mount Namuli pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon uluguruensis Tilbury & Emmrich, 1996 – Uluguru pygmy chameleon
Rhampholeon viridis Mariaux & Tilbury, 2006 – green pygmy chameleon

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
Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Chamæleontidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Genus Rhampholeon, p. 475).
Branch WR (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Genus Rhampholeon, p. 228).
Branch WR, Bayliss J, Tolley KA (2014). "Pygmy chameleons of the Rhampholeon platyceps compex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae): Description of four new species from isolated 'sky islands' of northern Mozambique". Zootaxa. 3814 (3814): 1–36. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3814.1.1. PMID 24943411.
Goin CJ, Goin OB, Zug GR (1978). Introduction to Herpetology: Third Edition. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. ISBN 0-7167-0020-4. (Genus Rhampholeon, p. 289).
Günther A (1874). "Descriptions of some new or imperfectly known Species of Reptiles from the Camaroon [sic] 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.
Tilbury, Colin (2010). Chameleons of Africa, An Atlas including the chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Frankfurt: Edition Chimaira.