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Phrynosomatidae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phrynosomatidae
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous to recent, 85–0 Ma
Emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Clade: Pleurodonta
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Fitzinger, 1843[1]
Genera

Callisaurus
Cophosaurus
Desertiguana
Holbrookia
Petrosaurus
Phrynosoma
Sceloporus
Uma
Urosaurus
Uta

The Phrynosomatidae are a diverse family of lizards, sometimes classified as a subfamily (Phrynosomatinae), found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments. The group includes both oviparous (egg-laying) and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations.[2] Oviparous and viviparous species of Phrynosomatidae lizards co-localize in certain areas of the United States, including New Mexico.[3] The earliest fossil remains of this group are known from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and belong to the genus Desertiguana.[4] As phrynosomatids are only known from North America, these remains indicate that phrynosomatids likely had a wider distribution in prehistoric times.

Genera

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The Phrynosomatidae are organised into nine genera.

The earless taxa (Cophosaurus and Holbrookia) are sister genera.

Family Phrynosomatidae

References

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  1. ^ Wikispecies.
  2. ^ Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  3. ^ Sherbrooke, W. C. (2017). Antipredator nest guarding by female horned lizards (Phrynosoma): iguanian parental care. Herpetologica, 73(4), 331-337.
  4. ^ "Fossilworks: Desertiguana". Paleobiology Database. Archived from the original on 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  5. ^ Reeder, Tod W.; Wiens, John J. (1996). "Evolution of the Lizard Family Phrynosomatidae as Inferred from Diverse Types of Data". Herpetological Monographs. 10: 43–84. doi:10.2307/1466980. ISSN 0733-1347. JSTOR 1466980.
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