Iguanomorpha
Iguanomorpha Temporal range:
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Leiocephalus personatus, a species of iguanian | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Clade: | Toxicofera |
Clade: | Iguanomorpha Sukhanov, 1961 |
Suborder: | Iguania Cope, 1864 |
Subgroups | |
Iguania is an
arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons.[citation needed] Today they are scattered occurring in Madagascar, the Fiji and Friendly Islands and Western Hemisphere.[4]
Classification
The Iguania currently include these extant families:[5][6]
- Clade Acrodonta
- Family Agamidae – agamid lizards, Old World arboreal lizards
- Family Chamaeleonidae– chameleons
- Clade Pleurodonta – American arboreal lizards, chuckwallas, iguanas
- Family Leiocephalidae
- Genus Leiocephalus: curly-tailed lizards
- Genus
- Family Corytophanidae – helmet lizards
- Family Crotaphytidae – collared lizards, leopard lizards
- Family Hoplocercidae – dwarf and spinytail iguanas
- Family Iguanidae – marine, Fijian, Galapagos land, spinytail, rock, desert, green, and chuckwalla iguanas
- Family Tropiduridae – tropidurine lizards
- subclade of Tropiduridae Tropidurini– neotropical ground lizards
- subclade of Tropiduridae
- Family Dactyloidae – anoles
- Family Polychrotidae
- subclade of Polychrotidae Polychrus
- Family Phrynosomatidae – North American spiny lizards
- Family Liolaemidae – South American swifts
- Family Opluridae – Malagasy iguanas
- Family Leiosauridae – leiosaurs
- subclade of Leiosaurini Leiosaurae
- subclade of Leiosaurini Anisolepae
- Family
Phylogeny
Below is a
phylogenetic analysis of Daza et al. (2012) (a morphological analysis), showing the interrelationships of extinct and living iguanians:[3]
Iguanomorpha |
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The extinct Arretosauridae (Paleogene iguanians from Central Asia) are alternatively classified in either the Acrodonta with other Old World iguanians, or in Pleurodonta as a sister group to the Crotaphytidae.[7][8]
Conservation status
As of 2020 The
extinct and 9.2% data deficient. The major threats include agriculture, residential and commercial development.[9]
References
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Iguania.
- Frost, Darrel R.; Etheridge, Richard (1989). A Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomy of Iguanian Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata). University of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-89338-033-5.
- Frost, Darrel R.; Etheridge, Richard; Janies, Daniel; Titus, Tom A. (June 2001). "Total Evidence, Sequence Alignment, Evolution of Polychrotid Lizards, and a Reclassification of the Iguania (Squamata: Iguania)". American Museum Novitates (3343): 1–39. S2CID 55299129.