A re-evaluation of the generic assignment of Bradypodion spinosum (Matschie, 1892) and some considerations on the genus Rhampholeon Gunther, 1874

The generic assignment of the dwarfed African chameleon Bradypodion spinosum is re-evaluated with regard to phenotype, soft tissue morphology, cranial osteology and DNA analysis. All methods used indicate that the species is unequivocally a member of the genus Rhampholeon to which it is formally transferred here: Rhampholeon spinosus (Matschie) comb. nov. Comparison of DNA with other species of the genus indicates that the genus Rhampholeon, as currently composed, is not monophyletic and consists of at least two separate lineages.