Kinyongia | |
---|---|
Kinyongia matschiei | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Chamaeleonidae |
Genus: | Kinyongia Tilbury, Tolley & Branch, 2006 |
Kinyongia (derived from the group's name in Kiswahili language) is a genus of chameleons found in montane and sub-montane areas in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and far eastern DR Congo. They are restricted to forests, woodlands and other wooded habitats, and many species have very small geographic ranges. In most species, at least the males have horns or knobs on their noses. [1] [2] As typical of most chameleons, Kinyongia are oviparous. [3]
They were initially placed in the genus Chamaeleo and by some authorities subsequently transferred into Bradypodion , but in 2006 they were moved to their own genus, Kinyongia. [1] [4] [5] [6]
The following 23 species are recognized as being valid. [7]
Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
---|---|---|---|
Kinyongia adolfifriderici (Sternfeld, 1912) | Ituri chameleon | Burundi, northern and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. | |
Kinyongia asheorum ( Nečas et al., 2009) | Mount Nyiro bearded chameleon | Kenya | |
Kinyongia boehmei (Lutzmann & Nečas, 2002) | Taita blade-horned chameleon, Böhme's two-horned chameleon | Kenya | |
Kinyongia carpenteri (Parker, 1929) | Carpenter's chameleon | Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |
Kinyongia excubitor (Barbour, 1911) | Mt. Kenya hornless chameleon | Kenya | |
Kinyongia fischeri (Reichenow, 1887) | Fischer's chameleon, Nguru blade-horned chameleon, Nguru two-horned chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia gyrolepis ( Greenbaum et al., 2012) | Lendu chameleon | Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
Kinyongia itombwensis Hughes et al., 2017 | Itombwe forest chameleon | Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
Kinyongia magomberae Menegon et al., 2009 | Magombera chameleon | Tanzania | |
Kinyongia matschiei (F. Werner, 1895) | giant monkey-tailed East Usambara two-horned chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia msuyae Menegon et al., 2015 | Tanzania. | ||
Kinyongia multituberculata (Nieden, 1913) | West Usambara two-horned chameleon | Tanzania | |
Kinyongia mulyai Tilbury & Tolley, 2015 | Democratic Republic of the Congo. | ||
Kinyongia oxyrhina (Klaver & W. Böhme, 1988) | sharp-nosed chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia rugegensis Hughes et al., 2017 | Rugege highlands forest chameleon | Burundi | |
Kinyongia tavetana (Steindachner, 1891) | Kilimanjaro blade-horned chameleon, Kilimanjaro two-horned chameleon | southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia tenuis (Matschie, 1892) | Usambara soft-horned chameleon | Kenya and Tanzania | |
Kinyongia tolleyae Hughes et al., 2017 | Tolley's forest chameleon | Uganda. | |
Kinyongia uluguruensis (Loveridge, 1957) | Uluguru two-horned chameleon | Tanzania | |
Kinyongia uthmoelleri (L. Müller, 1938) | Hanang hornless chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia vanheygeni Nečas, 2009 | Van Heygen's chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia vosseleri (Nieden, 1913) | East Usambara two-horned chameleon | Tanzania. | |
Kinyongia xenorhina (Boulenger, 1901) | strange-nosed chameleon | western Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. | |
Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Kinyongia.
Bradypodion is a genus of chameleons in the family Chamaeleonidae, collectively called South African dwarf chameleons. All species are found in South Africa and most are endemic to this country, but a few can also be found in Eswatini, Lesotho, southernmost Namibia and possibly southernmost Mozambique. They are quite small chameleons where the different species often can be difficult to separate by appearance, although exact location and the intense breeding colours of males are useful for their identification. They are arboreal, but some species are mostly found low in the vegetation.
Rhampholeon is a genus of small chameleons, commonly known as pygmy chameleons or African leaf chameleons, found in East Africa and Central Africa. 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.
Fischer's chameleon, also known commonly as the Nguru blade-horned chameleon and the Nguru two-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
The Cape dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape, where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town.
Currently, two species are placed in the recently established genus Nadzikambia. They are plesiomorphic, small chameleons from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi and Mount Mabu in Mozambique.
The Swartberg dwarf chameleon is a species of chameleon endemic to South Africa.
Trioceros is a genus of lizards in the family Chamaeleonidae, the chameleons, native to lowlands and highlands in the African mainland, ranging from Ethiopia south to Mozambique and west as far as Ghana. Trioceros was considered a subgenus of the genus Chamaeleo until 2009, when it was elevated to full genus level.
Kinyongia vanheygeni, the Poroto single-horned chameleon or Van Heygen's chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae.
Kinyongia tavetana, the Kilimanjaro two-horned chameleon or Kilimanjaro blade-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon in the genus Kinyongia. It is native to forests, woodlands, well-wooded gardens and plantations in the highlands of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Its type locality is Mount Kilimanjaro, but it is also known from Chyulu Hills and Mount Meru to the Pare Mountains.
The Karoo dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to South Africa. It is about 14 cm (6 in) long, mostly colored grey and brown, sometimes olive. The thin skin around the throat is yellow, and it has conical scales along the spine.
The Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon is a chameleon native to woodland habitat in the inland Midlands area of the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Kinyongia carpenteri, commonly called Carpenter's chameleon or the helmeted chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to central Africa.
Chamaeleoninae is the nominotypical subfamily of chameleons. The Family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae, by Klaver and Böhme in 1986. Since its erection in 1986, however, the validity of this subfamily designation has been the subject of much debate, although most phylogenetic studies support the notion that the pygmy chameleons of the subfamily Brookesiinae are not a monophyletic group. While some authorities have previously preferred to use the subfamilial classification on the basis of the absence of evidence principal, these authorities later abandoned this subfamilial division, no longer recognizing any subfamilies with the family Chamaeleonidae. In 2015, however, Glaw reworked the subfamilial division by placing only the genera Brookesia and Palleon within the Brookesiinae subfamily, with all other genera being placed in Chamaeleoninae.
The Family Chamaeleonidae was divided into two subfamilies, Brookesiinae and Chamaeleoninae, by Klaver and Böhme in 1986. Under this classification, Brookesiinae included the genera Brookesia and Rhampholeon, as well as the genera later split off from them. The Brookesiinae are small, often brown in colour, and occur in central Africa and Madagascar. They have terrestrial habits, or may be found in the lower levels of shrubs. Since its erection in 1986, however, the validity of this subfamily designation has been the subject of much debate, although most phylogenetic studies support the notion that the pygmy chameleons of the subfamily Brookesiinae are not a monophyletic group. While some authorities have previously preferred to use the subfamilial classification on the basis of the absence of evidence principal, these authorities later abandoned this subfamilial division, no longer recognizing any subfamilies with the family Chamaeleonidae. In 2015, however, Glaw reworked the subfamilial division by placing only the genera Brookesia and Palleon within the Brookesiinae subfamily, with all other genera being placed in Chamaeleoninae.
The Mlanje Mountain chameleon is one of two species in the genus Nadzikambia. It is a plesiomorphic, small chameleon from the Ruo Gorge forest on Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
Kinyongia asheorum, also known commonly as the Mount Nyiro bearded chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Kenya. Only four specimens are known.
Kinyongia boehmei, the Taita blade-horned chameleon, Böhme's two-horned chameleon and Dwarf fischer's chameleon, is species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae, found only in the Taita Hills of southeastern Kenya. It is the smallest species in the East African "two-horned chameleon" group and until 2008 it was generally considered a part of K. tavetana.
Kinyongia mulyai is a species of chameleons first described in 2015, endemic to the Nzawa forest regions of the south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Trioceros feae, also known commonly as the Bioko montane chameleon and Fea's chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to the island of Bioko.
Trioceros harennae, also known commonly as the Harenna hornless chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Ethiopia. There are two recognized subspecies.