On The Scientific and Vernacular Names of Chapmans' Pygmy Chameleon, Rhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) chapmanorum
The Scientific Name
In 1992, Rhampholeon chapmani was described as a new species for science by Tilbury.
The type locality: Evergreen forest at 940 m a.s.l. above Chididi Police post (= Mbeu Police post), on the top of Malawi Hill, Natundu Hills Range, southern Malawi. – Holotype (by original designation): BMNH 1988.399, adult male.
In his description work, Tilbury (1992) explicitely stated: "This chameleon is named after Jim and Betty Chapman who have devoted many years to exploring the forests of Malawi and contributed so much to the knowledge and conservation of these priceless assets. Jim also collected the first known specimen."
Based on this statement, it was obvious, that Tilbury did not form the specific epithet correctly, as he intended to dedicate it to two people and not to one. The name "chapmani" was erroneously formed as singular, while the correct version is "chapmanorum", which was corrected by Klaver & Böhme (1997). Mathee & al. (2004) included it then to the newly defined subgenus Rhinodigitum.
The full citation of its scientific name is therefore:
Rhampholeon (Rhinodigitum) chapmanorum Tilbury, 1992
The Vernacular Name
According to the logic above, the correct vernacular name must be:
Chapmans' Pygmy Chameleon (Henrion 2025; Reptile Database 2025),
and not
Chapman's Pygmy Chameleon (Tolley 2021a, 2021b; iNaturalist, 2025).
References
Henrion, M. (10.05.2025): iNaturalist: https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/3384798999
iNaturalist (10.05.2025): Rhampholeon chapmanorum: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/32993-Rhampholeon-chapmanorum
Klaver, C. & Böhme, W. (1997): Chamaeleonidae. Das Tierreich, 112. – Verlag Walter de Gruyter & Co, Berlin, New York, 85 pp.
Matthee, C.A., Tilbury, C.R. & Townsend, T. (2004): A phylogenetic review of the African leaf chameleons: genus Rhampholeon (Chamaeleonidae): the role of vicariance and climate change in speciation. – Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 271: 1967 – 1975.
Reptile Database (10.05.2025): Rhampholeon chapmanorum: https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Rhampholeon&species=chapmanorum<br>
Tilbury, C.R. (1992): A new dwarf forest chameleon (Sauria: Rhampholeon Günther, 1874) from Malawi, central Africa. – Tropical Zoology, 5: 1 – 9.
Tolley, K.A. 2021a: Rhampholeon chapmanorum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T172568A197246585
Tolley, K.A. 2021b: Malawi's tiny Chapman's chameleons are holding on for dear life. https://theconversation.com/malawis-tiny-chapmans-chameleons-are-holding-on-for-dear-life-153734
Wikipedia (10.05.2025): Rhampholeon chapmanorum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhampholeon_chapmanorum
Tilbury, C.R. (1992): A new dwarf forest chameleon (Sauria: Rhampholeon Günther, 1874) from Malawi, central Africa. – Tropical Zoology, 5: 1 – 9.