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Bradypodion melanocephalum (GRAY, 1865)

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Higher TaxaChamaeleonidae, Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Kwazulu Dwarf Chameleon, Black-headed Dwarf Chameleon 
SynonymMicrosaura melanocephala GRAY 1865
Chamaeleon melanocephalus — WERNER 1911
Chamaeleo pumilus melanocephalus — HILLENIUS 1959
Chamaeleo pumilus melanocephalus — MERTENS 1966
Bradypodion melanocephalum — RAW 1976
Bradypodion pumilum melanocephalum — BÖHME & KLAVER 1997
Bradypodion melanocephalum —NECAS 1999: 275
Bradypodion melanocephalum — TILBURY 2010: 270
Bradypodion melanocephalum — CAMPBELL & DENZER 2020 
DistributionRepublic of South Africa (E Cape Province, E Natal), S Mozambique

Type locality: Port Natal, South Africa.  
Reproductionovoviviparous 
TypesHolotype: BMNH 1946.8.21.7, female. Previously NHMUK1862.11.9.22 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (n=40): Small brownish chameleons; casque feebly elevated; usually two irregular rows of enlarged flattened tubercles along flanks; interstitial skin of gular region white, no black lines on throat; dorsal crest continuous onto tail. (Raw 1976)


Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about between half a page and a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. 
CommentDistribution: For a map see TOLLEY et al. (2004). Distribution not corrected for removal of kentanicum which has been elevated to full species status.

Type species: Microsaura melanocephala Gray, 1865 is the type species of the genus Microsaura Gray, 1865. 
EtymologyNamed after Greek: melas (melanos), black; kephale, head; -us/a/um adjectival suffix: blackheaded, denoting the dark colouration of the head, probably an artefact (see Tilbury 2010: 270) (Charles Klaver, pers. comm., 11 Jan 2023). 
References
  • ARMSTRONG, A.J. 2010. Population estimate of Bradypodion melanocephalum at the Durban International Airport Eastern Precinct. African Herp News (52): 2-7 - get paper here
  • Armstrong, Adrian J. 2008. Translocation of black-headed dwarf chameleons Bradypodion melanocephalum in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. African Journal of Herpetology 57(1):29-41 - get paper here
  • Barends, J. M., Petford, M. A., & Tolley, K. A. 2024. Comparing perch availability and perch use between African dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion) ectomorphs. Current Zoology, zoae076
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • CAMPBELL, PATRICK D; WOLFGANG DENZER 2020. Annotated catalogue of chameleon types in the collection of the Natural History Museum, UK (NHMUK) (Reptilia: Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Zootaxa 4742 (3): 481–500 - get paper here
  • Clark, Tyron K; Graham J Alexander, Krystal A Tolley 2024. Susceptibility of Dwarf Chameleons to Climate and Land Use Change: A Vulnerability Framework for Conservation Planning. African Zoology 59(1), 26-38 - get paper here
  • Da Silva, J. M. and Tolley, K. A. 2013. Ecomorphological variation and sexual dimorphism in a recent radiation of dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. doi: 10.1111/bij.12045 - get paper here
  • da Silva, J. M. and Tolley, K. A. 2017. Diversification through ecological opportunity in dwarf chameleons. J. Biogeogr.. doi:10.1111/jbi.12966 - get paper here
  • Glaw, F. 2015. Taxonomic checklist of chameleons (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). [type catalogue] Vertebrate Zoology 65 (2): 167–246 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1865. Revision of the genera and species of Chamaeleonidae, with the description of some new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 465-479. - get paper here
  • Gray,J.E. 1865. Revision of the genera and species of Chamaeleonidae, with the description of some new species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 15: 340-354 - get paper here
  • Hewitt, J. 1935. Some new forms of batrachians and reptiles from South Africa. Rec. Albany Mus. 4: 283-357
  • Hillenius, D. 1959. The differentiation within the genus Chamaeleo LAURENTI 1768. Beaufortia, Amsterdam, 8: 1-92.
  • Nečas, Petr 1999. Chameleons - Nature's Hidden Jewels. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt; 348 pp.; ISBN 3-930612-04-6 (Europe)<br />ISBN 1-57524-137-4 (USA, Canada)
  • Raw, L. R. G. 1976. A survey of the dwarf chameleons of Natal, South Africa, with description of three new species (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae). Durban Mus. Novit. 11(7): 139-161.
  • Reissig, Jens. 2014. Bradypodion melanocephalum (Gray, 1865) KwaZulu Dwarf Chameleon. Reproduction. African Herp News (61): 22-23 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, W.; Tamm, K. & Wallikewitz, E. 2010. Chamäleons - Drachen unserer Zeit. Natur und Tier Verlag, 328 pp. [review in Reptilia 101: 64, 2013] - get paper here
  • Silva, Jessica M. Da and Krystal A. Tolley 2013. Ecomorphological variation and sexual dimorphism in a recent radiation of dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 109 (1): 113–130 - get paper here
  • Stuart-Fox, D. & Moussalli, A. 2007. Sex-specific ecomorphological variation and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in dwarf chameleons (Bradypodion spp.). J. evol. Biol. 20: 1073-1081 - get paper here
  • Stuart-Fox, D.; Moussalli, A. & Whiting, M.J. 2007. Natural Selection on Social Signals: Signal Efficacy and the Evolution of Chameleon Display Coloration. American Naturalist 170 (6): 916-930 - get paper here
  • Tilbury C.R., Tolley K.A. & Branch W.R. 2006. A review of the systematics of the genus Bradypodion (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), with the description of two new genera. Zootaxa 1363, 23–38 (correction in Zootaxa 1426: 68) - get paper here
  • Tilbury, C. 2010. Chameleons of Africa: An Atlas, Including the Chameleons of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt M., 831 pp.
  • Tolley, K. & Burger, M. 2007. Chameleons of Southern Africa. Struik, Cape Town,100 pp.
  • Tolley, K.A., Conradie, W., Pietersen, D.W., Weeber, J., Burger, M. & Alexander, G.J. (eds) 2023. Conservation status of the reptiles of South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho. Suricata 10. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria - get paper here
  • Tolley, Krystal A.; Colin R. Tilbury, William R. Branch and Conrad A. Matthee 2004. Phylogenetics of the southern African dwarf chameleons, Bradypodion (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 30 (2): 354-365 - get paper here
 
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