NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Socotra Chameleon
Chamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865
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 Socotran chameleon (Chamaeleo monachus) is a species of chameleon endemic to the island of Socotra. When alarmed, it makes a hissing noise, and depending on its mood, it may change color. It is endangered by overgrazing, and is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List. The Socotran chameleon lives in dense shrubland, along wadis, and sometimes in palm plantations.
Wikipedia contributors, Chamaeleo monachus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:38:01.565612+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Chamaeleo monachus Gray, 1865
- Name authority
- Gray, 1865
- Common name
- Socotra Chameleon
- 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 monachus Gray, 1865
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 |
| Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758) | ChamaeleonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graceful ChameleonChamaeleo gracilis Hallowell, 1844 | 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 verrucosus Blyth, 1853 Blyth, 1853 | 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=monachus 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:TK6R. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.