Difference between revisions of "Lizard Classification"

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{{review}}
 
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[[Image:Chinese_water_dragon.jpg|400px|thumb|right|'''Chinese water dragon (family Agamidae)''' (© Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons)]]
 
==Lizard Classification Table==
 
==Lizard Classification Table==
[[Image:Chinese_water_dragon.jpg|400px|thumb|right|'''Chinese water dragon (family Agamidae)''' (© Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons)]]
 
 
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* Family of lizards of the old world
 
* Family of lizards of the old world
* Acrodont dentition
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* [[Acrodont dentition|Acrodont dentition]]
 
* Includes the agama (''Agama agama''), frilled lizard (''Chamydosaurus kingii''), [[Water Dragon|water dragon]] (''Psysignathus cocincinus''), [[Spiny-tailed Lizard|Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard]] (''Uromastyx aegyptius'') and the sail-fin lizard (''Hydrosaurus pustulatus'')
 
* Includes the agama (''Agama agama''), frilled lizard (''Chamydosaurus kingii''), [[Water Dragon|water dragon]] (''Psysignathus cocincinus''), [[Spiny-tailed Lizard|Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard]] (''Uromastyx aegyptius'') and the sail-fin lizard (''Hydrosaurus pustulatus'')
  
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* Family of lizards in the new world and a few species in the Indian Ocean region
 
* Family of lizards in the new world and a few species in the Indian Ocean region
* Pleurodont dentition
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* [[Pleurodont dentition|Pleurodont dentition]]
 
* Includes the [[Green Iguana|green iguana]] (''Iguana iguana''), the [[Green Anole|green anole]] (''Anolis carolinensis''), [[Basilisk|basilisks]] (''Basiliscus'' spp.), horned lizards (''Phrynosoma'' spp.) spiny lizards (''Sceloporus'' spp.) and [[Rhinocerous Iguana|West Indian rock iguanas]] (''Cyclura'' spp.)
 
* Includes the [[Green Iguana|green iguana]] (''Iguana iguana''), the [[Green Anole|green anole]] (''Anolis carolinensis''), [[Basilisk|basilisks]] (''Basiliscus'' spp.), horned lizards (''Phrynosoma'' spp.) spiny lizards (''Sceloporus'' spp.) and [[Rhinocerous Iguana|West Indian rock iguanas]] (''Cyclura'' spp.)
  
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* [[Monitor|Monitor]] lizards
 
* [[Monitor|Monitor]] lizards
 
* Mostly large powerful predators or carrion eaters
 
* Mostly large powerful predators or carrion eaters
* Includes the savannah monitor (''Varanus exanthematicus''), Nile monitor (''Varanus niloticus'') and the Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis'')
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* Includes the [[Monitor|savannah monitor]] (''Varanus exanthematicus''), [[Monitor|Nile monitor]] (''Varanus niloticus'') and the Komodo dragon (''Varanus komodoensis'')
  
 
===Lanthanotidae===
 
===Lanthanotidae===

Latest revision as of 12:14, 12 August 2010


Chinese water dragon (family Agamidae) (© Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons)

Lizard Classification Table

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

Iguanidae

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

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)