NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758)
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 common chameleon or Mediterranean chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) is a species of chameleon native to the Mediterranean Basin and parts surrounding the Red Sea. It is the only extant species of Chamaeleonidae with a range that naturally extends into Europe.
Wikipedia contributors, Common chameleon; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:21:45.210467+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Chamaeleonidae
- Genus
- Chamaeleo
- 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
- genusChamaeleo
- speciesChamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Chamaeleo. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Namaqua ChameleonChamaeleo namaquensis Smith, 1831 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Smooth chameleonChamaeleo laevigatus Gray, 1863 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Double-scaled ChameleonChamaeleo anchietae Bocage, 1872 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Chamaeleo calcaricarens Böhme, 1985 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Veiled ChameleonChamaeleo calyptratus Duméril & Duméril, 1851 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graceful ChameleonChamaeleo gracilis Hallowell, 1844 | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Socotra ChameleonChamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Chamaeleon mntabiiis Meyer, 1795 Meyer, 1795 | synonym |
| Cameleo siculus Grohmann, 1832 Grohmann, 1832 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo parisiensium Laurenti, 1768 Laurenti, 1768 | synonym |
| Lacerta chamaeleon Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo vulgaris var. recticrista Boettger, 1880 Boettger, 1880 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo vulgaris var. musae Steindachner, 1901 Steindachner, 1901 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo cinereus Strauch, 1862 Strauch, 1862 | synonym |
| Chamaeleo saharicus Müller, 1887 Müller, 1887 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon auratus Gray, 1865 Gray, 1865 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon fasciatus Smith, 1866 Smith, 1866 | synonym |
| Chamaeleon rimulosus Gravenhorst, 1843 Gravenhorst, 1843 | 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=Chamaeleo&species=chamaeleon 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:TK5D. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.