Difference between revisions of "Lizard Classification"

From WikiVet English
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Line 123: Line 123:
 
|-
 
|-
 
|}
 
|}
 +
 +
==Families==
 +
 +
===Agamidae===
 +
 +
* Family of lizards of the old world
 +
* Acrodont dentition
 +
* Includes the agama (Agama agama), frilled lizard (Chamydosaurus kingii), water dragon (Psysignathus cocincinus), Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptius) and the sail-fin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)
 +
 +
===Iguanidae===
 +
 +
* Family of lizards in the new world and a few species in the Indian Ocean region
 +
* Pleurodont dentition
 +
* Includes the green iguana (Iguana iguana), the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), basilisks (Basiliscus spp.), horned lizards (Phrynosoma spp.) spiny lizards (Sceloporus spp.) and West Indian rock iguanas (Cyclura spp.)
 +
 +
===Chamaeleontidae===
 +
 +
* Old world or true chameleons
 +
* Anatomical differences from other lizards may include astonishingly long tongues, ability for colour change, oppositely opposable digits and prehensile tails.
 +
* Generally viviparous
 +
 +
===Gekkonidae===
 +
 +
* Geckos
 +
* Large and diverse family which have colonised all tropical areas and extended into temperature regions
 +
* Primarily nocturnal insectivores
 +
* Anatomical differences from other lizards may include toe-pads, eyelids that have fused and are transparent as in snakes and eyes that move independently and are usually large
 +
* When subjected to daylight the pupils contract to a narrow slit with a series of pinholes
 +
* Generally oviparous with one to two eggs laid but some are viviparous
 +
* Three subfamilies are Eublepharine (no toe-pads), Sphaerodactylinae and Gekkoninae
 +
* Includes the commonly kept leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)
 +
 +
===Pygopodidae===
 +
 +
* Includes snake lizards (Lialis spp.) and the scalyfoot (Pygopus spp.) which are without forelimbs and their hindlimbs are reduced to flaps of skin
 +
 +
===Lacertidae===
 +
 +
* Wall or sand lizards of the old world
 +
* Insectivorous
 +
* All oviparous except the viviparous lizard (Lacerta vivapara)
 +
* Includes the oscellated green lizard (Lacerta lepida), rock lizard (Lacerta saxicola)
 +
 +
===Teiidae===
 +
 +
* New world equivalents of the Lacertidae
 +
* The smaller are insectivorous and the larger carnivorous
 +
* Includes the whiptails and racerunners (Cnemidophorus spp.), jungle runners (Ameiva spp.) and tegus (Tupinambis spp.)
 +
 +
===Xantusiidae===
 +
* Desert night lizards
 +
* Xantusia spp.
 +
 +
===Scincidae===
 +
 +
* True skinks
 +
* Little sexual dimorphism
 +
* Includes the blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua spp.), prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata), five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) and the casqueheads (Tribolonotus spp.)
 +
 +
===Cordylidae===
 +
 +
* Zonures or girdle-tailed lizards
 +
* All require very hot, dry conditions
 +
* Includes Cordylus spp.
 +
 +
===Dibamidae===
 +
 +
* Blind lizards
 +
* Dibamus and Anelytropsis spp.
 +
 +
===Xenosauridae===
 +
 +
* Consists of the Chinese crocodile-tailed lizard (Shinisaurus crocodiluris) and the new world xenosaurs (Xenosaurus spp.)
 +
 +
===Anguidae===
 +
 +
* Long and snake-like in form
 +
* In America, Asia, Africa and Europe but species are not numerous
 +
* Both oviparous and viviparous species, both diurnal and nocturnal species and generally terrestrial
 +
* Insectivorous or carnivorous
 +
* Includes slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), alligator lizards (Elgaria spp.), glass lizards (Ophisaurus spp.) legless lizards (Annelia spp.) and the sheltopusik (Ophisaurus apodus)
 +
 +
===Helodermatidae===
 +
* Two species that are the only venomous lizards
 +
* Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) and the Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum)
 +
 +
===Varanidae===
 +
* Monitor lizards
 +
* Mostly large powerful predators or carrion eaters
 +
* Includes the savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus), Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) and the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)
 +
 +
===Lanthanotidae===
 +
 +
* Monotypic family
 +
* The Bornean earless lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis)
 +
 +
 +
 
[[Category:Lizard_Taxonomy]]
 
[[Category:Lizard_Taxonomy]]

Revision as of 16:56, 3 March 2010


 This article is still under construction.


Suborder Infraorder Family Common Name Genera Species
Sauria Iguania Agamidae Water Dragons 53 300
" " Iguanidae Iguanas 55 650
" " Chamaeleontidae Chameleons 4 85
" Gekkota Gekkonidae Geckos 85 800
" " Pygopodidae Snake lizards 1 31
" Scincomorpha Lacertidae Wall and sand lizards 25 200
" " Teiidae Tegus, whiptails 39 227
" " Xantusiidae Desert night lizards 1 16
" " Scincidae Skinks 85 1275
" " Cordylidae Girdle-tailed lizards 10 50
" " Dibamidae Blind lizards 1 4
" Anguinomorpha Xenosauridae Crocodile lizards 1 4
" " Anguidae Anguids 8 75
" " Helodermatidae Beaded lizard, Gila Monster 1 2
" " Varanidae Monitors 1 31
" " Lanthanotidae Borneo earless lizard 1 1

Families

Agamidae

  • Family of lizards of the old world
  • Acrodont dentition
  • Includes the agama (Agama agama), frilled lizard (Chamydosaurus kingii), water dragon (Psysignathus cocincinus), Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx aegyptius) and the sail-fin lizard (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)

Iguanidae

  • Family of lizards in the new world and a few species in the Indian Ocean region
  • Pleurodont dentition
  • Includes the green iguana (Iguana iguana), the green anole (Anolis carolinensis), basilisks (Basiliscus spp.), horned lizards (Phrynosoma spp.) spiny lizards (Sceloporus spp.) and West Indian rock iguanas (Cyclura spp.)

Chamaeleontidae

  • Old world or true chameleons
  • Anatomical differences from other lizards may include astonishingly long tongues, ability for colour change, oppositely opposable digits and prehensile tails.
  • Generally viviparous

Gekkonidae

  • Geckos
  • Large and diverse family which have colonised all tropical areas and extended into temperature regions
  • Primarily nocturnal insectivores
  • Anatomical differences from other lizards may include toe-pads, eyelids that have fused and are transparent as in snakes and eyes that move independently and are usually large
  • When subjected to daylight the pupils contract to a narrow slit with a series of pinholes
  • Generally oviparous with one to two eggs laid but some are viviparous
  • Three subfamilies are Eublepharine (no toe-pads), Sphaerodactylinae and Gekkoninae
  • Includes the commonly kept leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius)

Pygopodidae

  • Includes snake lizards (Lialis spp.) and the scalyfoot (Pygopus spp.) which are without forelimbs and their hindlimbs are reduced to flaps of skin

Lacertidae

  • Wall or sand lizards of the old world
  • Insectivorous
  • All oviparous except the viviparous lizard (Lacerta vivapara)
  • Includes the oscellated green lizard (Lacerta lepida), rock lizard (Lacerta saxicola)

Teiidae

  • New world equivalents of the Lacertidae
  • The smaller are insectivorous and the larger carnivorous
  • Includes the whiptails and racerunners (Cnemidophorus spp.), jungle runners (Ameiva spp.) and tegus (Tupinambis spp.)

Xantusiidae

  • Desert night lizards
  • Xantusia spp.

Scincidae

  • True skinks
  • Little sexual dimorphism
  • Includes the blue-tongued skink (Tiliqua spp.), prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata), five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) and the casqueheads (Tribolonotus spp.)

Cordylidae

  • Zonures or girdle-tailed lizards
  • All require very hot, dry conditions
  • Includes Cordylus spp.

Dibamidae

  • Blind lizards
  • Dibamus and Anelytropsis spp.

Xenosauridae

  • Consists of the Chinese crocodile-tailed lizard (Shinisaurus crocodiluris) and the new world xenosaurs (Xenosaurus spp.)

Anguidae

  • Long and snake-like in form
  • In America, Asia, Africa and Europe but species are not numerous
  • Both oviparous and viviparous species, both diurnal and nocturnal species and generally terrestrial
  • Insectivorous or carnivorous
  • Includes slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), alligator lizards (Elgaria spp.), glass lizards (Ophisaurus spp.) legless lizards (Annelia spp.) and the sheltopusik (Ophisaurus apodus)

Helodermatidae

  • Two species that are the only venomous lizards
  • Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) and the Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum)

Varanidae

  • Monitor lizards
  • Mostly large powerful predators or carrion eaters
  • Includes the savannah monitor (Varanus exanthematicus), Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) and the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

Lanthanotidae

  • Monotypic family
  • The Bornean earless lizard (Lanthanotus borneensis)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikivet.net/index.php?title=Lizard_Classification&oldid=55707"