NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon
Bradypodion dracomontanum Raw, 1976
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.
Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion dracomontanum)
Nolan Exe · CC BY 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Drakensberg dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion dracomontanum) occurs in the Drakensberg, South Africa, between the latitudes of 27°45′ and 29°15′. Bright green dwarf chameleons (emerald dwarf chameleon) found in the Drakensberg south of 29°15′ are now known to be more closely related to the Natal Midlands dwarf chameleon (Bradypodion thamnobates) and may yet be described as a separate species.
Wikipedia contributors, Drakensberg dwarf chameleon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:56:13.711877+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Bradypodion dracomontanum Raw, 1976
- Name authority
- Raw, 1976
- Common name
- Drakensberg 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 dracomontanum Raw, 1976
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 |
| 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 |
| Elandsberg Dwarf ChameleonBradypodion taeniabronchum (Smith, 1831) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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=dracomontanum 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.
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:693R9. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.