| Rieppeleon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male R. brevicaudatus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Chamaeleonidae |
| Subfamily: | Chamaeleoninae |
| Genus: | Rieppeleon Matthee, Tilbury & Townsend, 2004 |
Rieppeleon is a genus of small, typically brown chameleons found in forests and savannas in East Africa. They are found at low levels in bushes, or on the ground among grass or leaf litter. [1]
The genus Rieppeleon was named after Swiss-born American herpetologist Olivier Rieppel (born 1951). [2] [3]
The specific name, kerstenii, is in honor of German chemist and geographer Otto Kersten (1839–1900). [3]
The subspecific name, robecchii, is in honor of Italian geologist and explorer Luigi Robecchi Bricchetti (1855–1926). [3]
Until recently, the species in the genus Rieppeleon were commonly included in the genus Rhampholeon instead.
The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid. [4]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rieppeleon brachyurus (Günther, 1893) | beardless pygmy chameleon | Malawi, Mozambique, and southeastern Tanzania. | |
 | Rieppeleon brevicaudatus (Matschie, 1892) | bearded pygmy chameleon | eastern Usambara and Uluguru Mountains in northeastern Tanzania and Kenya |
 | Rieppeleon kerstenii (W. Peters, 1868) | Kenya pygmy chameleon | eastern Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and northeastern Tanzania |
Nota bene : A binomial authority, or trinomial authority, in parentheses indicates that the species, or subspecies, was originally described in a genus other than Rieppeleon.
Chameleons or chamaeleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 200 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, being capable of shifting to different hues and degrees of brightness. The large number of species in the family exhibit considerable variability in their capacity to change color. For some, it is more of a shift of brightness ; for others, a plethora of color-combinations can be seen.
Chamaeleo is a genus of chameleons in the family Chamaeleonidae. Most species of the genus Chamaeleo are found in sub-Saharan Africa, but a few species are also present in northern Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia east to India and Sri Lanka.
Furcifer is a genus of chameleons whose member species are mostly endemic to Madagascar, but F. cephalolepis and F. polleni are endemic to the Comoros. Additionally, F. pardalis has been introduced to Réunion, Mauritius and Florida, while F. oustaleti has been introduced to Kenya and Florida.
Brookesia is a genus of chameleons, lizards in the family Chamaeleonidae. The genus is endemic to Madagascar. Member species range from small to very small in size, and are known collectively as leaf chameleons. Brookesia includes species considered to be the world's smallest chameleons, and are also among the smallest reptiles. Members of the genus Brookesia are largely brown, and most are essentially terrestrial.
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.
The spectral pygmy chameleon, also known as western pygmy chameleon or Cameroon stumptail chameleon, is one of the so-called "dwarf" or "leaf" chameleons, from mainland Africa.
Jackson's chameleon, also known as Jackson's horned chameleon, three-horned chameleon or Kikuyu three-horned chameleon, is a species of chameleon native to East Africa, and introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and California.
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.
Trioceros melleri, with the common names Meller's chameleon and giant one-horned chameleon, is the largest species of chameleon from the African mainland.
Marshall's pygmy chameleon, also called Marshall's leaf chameleon, Marshall's dwarf chameleon, or Marshall's stumptail chameleon, is a species of chameleon found in the forests of Zimbabwe and Mozambique in Africa. It grows from 3.5 to 7.5 cm and feeds on insects. When standing still, it resembles a leaf on a branch.
Otto Kersten was a German chemist and geographer.
Rieppeleon brachyurus, known commonly as the zomba pygmy chameleon, is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to eastern and southeastern Africa.
Rieppeleon kerstenii is species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to East Africa.
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 uthmoelleri, known commonly as the Hanang hornless chameleon, Müller's leaf chameleon, and Uthmöller's chameleon, is species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
Rhampholeon chapmanorum, also known commonly as Chapmans' pygmy chameleon, is a species of terrestrial pygmy chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to forest fragments in the Natundu Hills, Malawi. It was described as a species new to science by Colin R. Tilbury in 1992, from a patch of lowland seasonal rainforest in the Matandwe Forest Reserve.
The four-horned chameleon is a species of chameleon, a lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to highland areas in western Cameroon and southeastern Nigeria.
Rhampholeon beraduccii, also known commonly as Beraducci's pygmy chameleon or the Mahenge pygmy chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is endemic to Tanzania.
Rhampholeon boulengeri, also known commonly as Boulenger’s pygmy chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern Africa.
Trioceros goetzei, also known commonly as Goetze's chameleon, Goetze's whistling chameleon, and the Ilolo chameleon, is a species of lizard in the family Chamaeleonidae. The species is native to eastern Africa. There are two recognized subspecies.
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