Dr. J. E. Gray on the Chamseleonidse. 343 



The Chameleons are essentially confined to Africa and the islands 

 near to that continent. Thus, as far as we at present know, the fol- 

 lowing species, Chamceleon calyptratus, C. verrucosus, C. balteatus, 

 Apola lateralis, Calumma cucullata, Crassonota nasuta, Sauroceras 

 rhinoceratum, Dicranosaura bifurca, and D. Parsonii, are confined to 

 Madagascar ; Cyneosaura pardalis to the Isle of Bourbon ; Lopho- 

 saura tigris to the Seychelles ; C. Burchelli, Pterosaura cristata, 

 and Triceras Owenii to Fernando Po and perhaps Old Calabar ; 

 C. gracilis to "West Africa — Liberia ; C. Petersii to Mozambique ; 

 Ensirostris Melleri to Eastern Africa ; C. auratus to Arabia ; C. 

 granulosus, Brookesia superciliaris, and C. senegalensis to W. Africa ; 

 C. Icevigatus to Central Africa ; C. affinis to Abyssinia ; Phuma- 

 nola namaquensis to South-east Africa ; Lophosaura pumila and L. 

 ventralis to South Africa. C. dilepis is common to the west and 

 south-east coast of Africa ; while C. vulgaris is distributed over 

 North and South Africa, Asia Minor, India, and Singapore. 



Fam. Cham^leonid^;, Gray, Cat. Lizards Brit. Mus. 264 (1845). 



Chameleon, Gronovius, Fitz. 



Synopsis of the Genera. 



A. The nose and orbit simple, not horned. 



1. Chameleon. Back and belly with a series of compressed elon- 



gated scales. 



2. Apola. Back-edge broad, with two series of minute scales ; 



belly dentated. 



3. Pterosaurus. Back and tail with a high fin, supported by 



bony rays, smooth-edged ; belly dentated. 



4. Microsaura. Back and chin crested ; occiput keeled, com- 



pressed ; sides smooth, divided into two square disks. 



5. Phumanola. Back rounded, with a series of large bony tuber- 



cles covered with scales. 



6. Lophosaura. Chin with a series of elongated processes covered 



with scales. 



7. Calumma. Orbit with large lobes, covered with scales behind ; 



back dentated ; belly and chin rounded, not dentated. 



B. Nose simple ; orbit angularly produced in front. 



8. Brookesia. 



C. Nose and orbit ivith cylindrical horns, covered with a sheath. 



9. Triceras. Horns, one on the nose and one on the front of each 



orbit. 



D. Nose with one or two bony prominences covered with scales. 



10. Crassonota. Nose compressed in front, with a flexible com- 

 pressed lobe covered with scales ; back with a distant series of 

 slender elongated scales. 



