Jackson's Chameleon - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

Jackson's chameleon was first described by Belgian-British zoologist George Albert Boulenger in 1896

Its generic name (trioceros) is derived from the Greek τρί- (tri-) meaning "three" and κέρας (kéras) meaning "horns". This is in reference to the three horns found on the heads of males. Its specific name is a Latinized form of English explorer and ornithologist Frederick John Jackson's last name, who was serving as the first Governor of Kenya at the time. The English word chameleon (also chamaeleon) derives from Latin chamaeleō, a borrowing of the Ancient Greek χαμαιλέων (khamailéōn), a compound of χαμαί (khamaí) "on the ground" and λέων (léōn) "lion". The Greek word is a calque translating the Akkadian nēš qaqqari, "ground lion".

There are three subspecies, including the nominate:

• Trioceros jacksonii jacksonii Boulanger 1896 : Jackson's Chameleon
• Trioceros jacksonii merumontanus Rand 1958 : Dwarf Jackson's Chameleon
• Trioceros jacksonii xantholophus Eason, Ferguson & Hebrard 1988 : Yellow-crested Jackson's Chameleon