The phylogenetic relationships of the African mainland species of the genusRhampholeon(formerly referred to the genusBrookesia) with respect toBrookesia superciliaris, Bradypodion pumilus, and the genusChamaeleoare analysed.Rhampholeonconstitutes a genus well separated fromBrookesiaand may itself be subdivided in two subgroups on the basis of characters derived from the nasal and parietal complexes. A final section investigates problems of cladistic analysis, viz. the relationship of parsimony to character weighting, and pattern versus process as complementary perspectives of character analysis and coding.