Crotaphytidae
The Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are a family[1][2][3] of desert-dwelling reptiles native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Crotaphytinae, within the clade Pleurodonta. They are very fast-moving animals, with long limbs and tails; some species are capable of achieving bipedal running at top speed. This species is carnivorous, feeding mainly on insects and smaller lizards.
| Crotaphytidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Crotaphytus collaris | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Clade: | Pleurodonta |
| Family: | Crotaphytidae H.M. Smith & Brodie, 1982 |
| Genera | |
Technical characters
- Femoral pores present
- Interparietal scale small (distinctly smaller than ear opening)
- Never have an enlarged middorsal scale row or fringe
- Never have a divided rostral scale
- No bony spines or projecting ridges on their heads
- No scales projecting over their ears, and no scales forming a prominent fringe on sides of toes as in Phrynosomatidae
Species
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg.webp) | Gambelia Baird, 1859[4][5] (leopard lizards) |
|
 | Crotaphytus Holbrook, 1842[4][6] (collared lizards) |
|
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in different genus.
References
- Townsend, Ted M.; Mulcahy, Daniel G.; Noonan, Brice P.; Sites, Jack W. Jr; Kuczynski, Caitlin A.; Wiens, John J.; Reeder, Tod W. (2011). "Phylogeny of iguanian lizards inferred from 29 nuclear loci, and a comparison of concatenated and species-tree approaches for an ancient, rapid radiation". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2): 363–380. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.07.008. PMID 21787873.
- Wiens, John T.; Hutter, Carl R.; Mulcahy, Daniel G.; Noonan, Brice P.; Townsend, Ted M.; Sites, Jack W. Jr.; Reeder, Tod W. (2012). "Resolving the phylogeny of lizards and snakes (Squamata) with extensive sampling of genes and species". Biology Letters. 8 (6): 1043–1046. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2012.0703. PMC 3497141. PMID 22993238.
- Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T.; Wiens, John J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13: 93. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93. PMC 3682911. PMID 23627680.
- Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Iguania/crotaphytidae.
- Genus Gambelia at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- Genus Crotaphytus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
Further reading
- Frost DR, Etheridge RE (1989). A Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomy of Iguanian Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata) Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Publ. 81: 1-62. (Family Crotaphytidae, p. 36).
- Smith HM, Brodie ED Jr (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3. (Subfamily Crotaphytinae, p. 106).
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