Gerrhosauridae
| Gerrhosauridae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadleysaurus major | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
| Clade: | Cordyliformes |
| Family: | Gerrhosauridae Fitzinger, 1843 |
The Gerrhosauridae are a family of lizards native to Africa and Madagascar. They are close relatives of skinks and were once classified in the same family as them.[1]
Habitat
[edit]Also known as plated lizards, species in the family Gerrhosauridae live in a range of habitats, from rocky crevices to sand dunes.[1]
Description
[edit]Their form is variable, some species having four fully developed limbs, and others having vestigial hind limbs only.[1]
Reproduction
[edit]Classification
[edit]Family Gerrhosauridae
- Subfamily Gerrhosaurinae
- Genus Broadleysaurus - rough-scaled plated lizard (1 species)
- Genus Cordylosaurus - blue-black plated lizard (1 species)
- Genus Gerrhosaurus - (7 species)
- Genus Matobosaurus - (2 species)
- Genus Tetradactylus - (8 species)
- Subfamily Zonosaurinae
- Genus Tracheloptychus - keeled plated lizards (2 species)
- Genus Zonosaurus - zonosaurs (17 species)
The extinct Konkasaurus from the Late Cretaceous (~66 million years ago) of Madagascar was tentatively identified as a member of the family Cordylidae (the sister group to gerrhosaurids, together forming the Cordyliformes) in its 2003 description. Upon more detailed investigation using micro-CT scans of the available fossils, it was reidentified as a member of the Gerrhosauridae within the subfamily Zonosaurinae.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Bauer AM [in French] (1998). Cogger HG, Zweifel RG (ed.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 161–162. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
- ↑ Stanley, Edward L; Fenner, Kelsey L; Daza, Juan D; Heinicke, Matthew P; Arias, J Salvador; Krause, David W (2026-08-01). "New insights into the phylogenetic position and palaeobiogeography of Konkasaurus mahalana (Squamata: Scincoidea) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 207 (4) zlag122. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag122. ISSN 0024-4082.
Further reading
[edit]- Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, Gerrhosauridæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Family "Gerrhosauridæ", pp. 119–120).
- Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Family Gerrhosauridae, pp. 176–177).
- Fitzinger L (1843). Systema Reptilium, Fasciculus Primus, Amblyglossae. Vienna: Braumüller & Seidel. 106 pp. + indices. ("Gerrhosauri", new family, p. 21). (in Latin).