NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cape Dwarf Chameleon
Bradypodion pumilum (Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Cape dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion pumilum) is a chameleon native to the South African province of the Western Cape, where it is restricted to the region around Cape Town.
As with most chameleons, its tongue is twice the length of its body and it can be shot out of its mouth using a special muscle in the jaw. This gives the chameleon the ability to catch insects some distance away.
Wikipedia contributors, Cape dwarf chameleon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:55:43.109063+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bradypodion pumilum (Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Cape Dwarf Chameleon
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Bradypodion
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderIguania
- familyChamaeleonidae
- genusBradypodion
- speciesBradypodion pumilum (Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Bradypodion. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Little Karoo Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion gutturale (Smith, 1849) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Swartberg Dwarf chameleonBradypodion atromontanum Branch, Tolley & Tilbury, 2006 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dhlinza Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion caeruleogula Raw & Brothers, 2008 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pondo Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion caffrum (Boettger, 1889) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Drakensberg Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion dracomontanum Raw, 1976 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Beardless Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion barbatulum Tolley, Tilbury & Burger, 2022 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Bradypodion baviaanense Tolley, Tilbury & Burger, 2022 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Black-headed Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion melanocephalum (Gray, 1865) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Nkandla Dwarf Chameleon [nkandlae]Bradypodion nemorale Raw, 1978 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ngome Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion ngomeense Tilbury & Tolley, 2009 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Western Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion occidentale (Hewitt, 1935) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Setaro's Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion setaroi Raw, 1976 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Lacerta pumila Gmelin ex Linnaeus, 1789 Gmelin ex Linnaeus, 1789 | synonym |
| Lophosaura pumila var. fordii Gray, 1865 Gray, 1865 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon bonae spei Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo margaritaceus Merrem, 1820 Merrem, 1820 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo thermophilus Gravenhorst, 1807 Gravenhorst, 1807 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Bradypodion&species=pumilum Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:5X3R8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.