Squamata
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Squamata (meaning "scaled reptiles") is the order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. This members of the order are distinguished by their skins, which bear horny scales or shield. They also possess movable quadrate bones, making it possible to move the upper jaw relative to the braincase. This is also the only reptile group in which can be found both viviparous and ovoviviparous species, as well as the usual oviparous reptiles.
The Squamata do not include the tuataras from New Zealand reptiles resembling lizards.
[change] Taxonomy
Classically, the order is divided into three suborders:
- Lacertilia, the lizards;
- Serpentes, the snakes;
- Amphisbaenia, the worm lizards.
Of these, the lizards form a paraphyletic group. In newer classifications the name Sauria is used for reptiles and birds in general, and the Squamata are divided differently:
- Suborder Iguania (the iguanas and chameleons)
- Suborder Scleroglossa
- Infraorder Gekkota (the geckos)
- Infraorder Anguimorpha (the monitors, Gila monster, and slow-worms)
- Infraorder Scincomorpha (skinks, whiptail lizards and common European lizards)
- Suborder Serpentes (the snakes)
- Infraorder Alethinophidia (vipers, boas, cobras, etc.)
- Infraorder Scolecophidia (blind snakes)
- Suborder Amphisbaenia
- Suborder Serpentes (snakes)
- Suborder Iguania (agamas, chameleons, iguanas, etc.)
- Infraorder Anguimorpha, consisting of:
- Family Varanidae (monitor lizards, including the Komodo dragon)
- Family Anguidae (alligator lizards, glass lizards, etc.)
- Family Helodermatidae (Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard)
- Infraorder Anguimorpha, consisting of:
[change] List of Families
| Amphisbaenia | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amphisbaenidae Gray, 1865 |
Tropical worm lizards | Darwin's worm lizard (Amphisbaena darwinii) | |
| Bipedidae Taylor, 1951 |
Bipes worm lizards | Mexican Mole Lizard (Bipes biporus) | |
| Rhineuridae Vanzolini, 1951 |
North American worm lizards | North American worm lizard (Rhineura floridana) |  |
| Trogonophidae Gray, 1865 |
Palearctic worm lizards | Checkerboard Worm Lizard (Trogonophis wiegmanni) | |
| Diploglossa | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Anguidae Oppel, 1811 |
Glass lizards | Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) |  |
| Anniellidae Gray, 1852 |
American legless lizards | California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra) |  |
| Xenosauridae Cope, 1866 |
Knob-scaled lizards | Chinese Crocodile Lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) |  |
| Gekkota | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Dibamidae Boulenger, 1884 |
Blind lizards | Dibamus nicobaricum | - |
| Gekkonidae Gray, 1825 |
Geckos | Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) |  |
| Pygopodidae Boulenger, 1884 |
Legless lizards | Burton's Snake Lizard (Lialis burtonis) | - |
| Iguania | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Agamidae Spix, 1825 |
Agamas | Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata) |  |
| Chamaeleonidae Gray, 1825 |
Chameleons | Veiled Chameleon (Chamaeleo calyptratus) |  |
| Corytophanidae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Casquehead lizards | Plumed Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) |  |
| Crotaphytidae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Collared and leopard lizards | Common Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) |  |
| Hoplocercidae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Wood lizards or clubtails | Club-tail Iguana (Hoplocercus spinosus) | - |
| Iguanidae | Iguanas | Marine Iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) |  |
| Leiosauridae Frost et al., 2001 |
- | Darwin's Iguana (Diplolaemus darwinii) | - |
| Opluridae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Madagascan iguanas | Chalarodon (Chalarodon madagascariensis) | - |
| Phrynosomatidae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards | Greater Earless Lizard (Cophosaurus texanus) |  |
| Polychrotidae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Anoles | Caronlina Anole (Anolis carolinensis) |  |
| Tropiduridae Frost & Etheridge, 1989 |
Neotropical ground lizards | (Microlophus peruvianus) |  |
| Platynota | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Helodermatidae | Gila monsters | Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) |  |
| Lanthanotidae | Earless Monitor | Earless Monitor (Lanthanotus borneensis) | - |
| Varanidae | Monitor lizards | Perentie (Varanus giganteus) |  |
| Scincomorpha | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Cordylidae | Spinytail lizards | Girdle-tailed Lizard (Cordylus warreni) | N/A |
| Gerrhosauridae | Plated lizards | Sudan Plated Lizard (Gerrhosaurus major) |  |
| Gymnophthalmidae | Spectacled lizards | - | - |
| Lacertidae Oppel, 1811 |
Wall or true lizards | Eyed Lizard (Lacerta lepida) |  |
| Scincidae Oppel, 1811 |
Skinks | Western Blue-tongued Skink (Tiliqua occipitalis) |  |
| Teiidae | Tegus or whiptails | Blue Tegu (Tupinambis teguixin) |  |
| Xantusiidae | Night lizards | Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawi) |  |
| Alethinophidia | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Acrochordidae Bonaparte, 1831[1] |
file snakes | Marine File Snake (Acrochordus granulatus) | |
| Aniliidae Stejneger, 1907[2] |
coral pipe snakes | Burrowing False Coral (Anilius scytale) | |
| Anomochilidae Cundall, Wallach and Rossman, 1993.[3] |
dwarf pipe snakes | Leonard's Pipe Snake, (Anomochilus leonardi) | |
| Atractaspididae Günther, 1858[4] |
mole vipers | Bibron's burrowing asp (Atractaspis bibroni) | |
| Boidae Gray, 1825[1] |
boas | Amazon tree boa (Corallus hortulanus) |  |
| Bolyeriidae Hoffstetter, 1946 |
Round Island boas | Round Island Burrowing Boa (Bolyeria multocarinata) | |
| Colubridae Oppel, 1811[1] |
colubrids | Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) | .jpg) |
| Cylindrophiidae Fitzinger, 1843 |
Asian pipe snakes | Red-tailed Pipe Snake (Cylindrophis ruffus) |  |
| Elapidae Boie, 1827[1] |
cobras, coral snakes, mambas, kraits, sea snakes, sea kraits, Australian elapids | King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) | N/A |
| Loxocemidae Cope, 1861 |
Mexican burrowing snakes | Mexican burrowing snake (Loxocemus bicolor) |  |
| Pythonidae Fitzinger, 1826 |
pythons | Ball python (Python regius) |  |
| Tropidophiidae Brongersma, 1951 |
dwarf boas | Northern Eyelash Boa (Trachyboa boulengeri) | |
| Uropeltidae Müller, 1832 |
shield-tailed snakes, short-tailed snakes | Cuvier's shieldtail (Uropeltis ceylanica) |  |
| Viperidae Oppel, 1811[1] |
vipers, pitvipers, rattlesnakes | European asp (Vipera aspis) |  |
| Xenopeltidae Bonaparte, 1845 |
sunbeam snakes | Sunbeam snake (Xenopeltis unicolor) |  |
| Scolecophidia | |||
| Family | Common Names | Example Species | Example Photo |
| Anomalepidae Taylor, 1939[1] |
dawn blind snakes | Dawn Blind Snake (Liotyphlops beui) | |
| Leptotyphlopidae Stejneger, 1892[1] |
slender blind snakes | Texas Blind Snake (Leptotyphlops dulcis) |  |
| Typhlopidae Merrem, 1820[5] |
blind snakes | Black Blind Snake (Typhlops reticulatus) |
[change] References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Cogger(1991), p.23
- ↑ Aniliidae (TSN 209611). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 12 December 2007.
- ↑ Anomochilidae (TSN 563894). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 13 December 2007.
- ↑ Atractaspididae (TSN 563895). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 13 December 2007.
- ↑ Typhlopidae (TSN 174338). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 13 December 2007.
