Anguidae
Encyclopedia
The Anguidae is a large and diverse family of lizards native to the northern hemisphere. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizard
s, and alligator lizards
, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera
. Their closest living relatives are the heloderma
tid lizards. They have hard osteoderm
s beneath their scales, and many of the species have reduced or absent limbs, giving them a snake
-like appearance, although others are fully limbed.
Anguids are carnivorous or insectivorous
, and inhabit a wide range of different habitats. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species. Most species are terrestrial, although some climb trees.
Anguids have a relatively good fossil record. The oldest known anguid is Odaxosaurus, from the late Campanian of Canada, approximately 75 million years ago, and anguids are relatively common as fossils the Late Cretaceous
and Paleogene
of western North America. Odaxosaurus and other Late Cretaceous anguids already exhibit many features found in living anguids, including chisel-like teeth and armor plates in the skin, suggesting a long evolutionary history for the group. The anguids are particularly diverse during the Paleocene and Eocene in North America; some species, such as Glyptosaurus, grew to large size and evolved a highly specialized crushing dentition. The long fossil record for Anguidae in North America suggests that the group probably evolved in North America during the Cretaceous before dispersing to Europe in the Paleogene.
Family ANGUIDAE
Glass lizard
The glass lizards or glass snakes, genus Ophisaurus, are a group of reptiles that resemble snakes, but are actually lizards. Although most species have no legs, their head shape and the fact that they have movable eyelids and external ear openings identify them as lizards. A few species have very...
s, and alligator lizards
Gerrhonotus
Gerrhonotus is a genus of anguid lizards that are commonly referred to as alligator lizards, due to a vague resemblance to the alligator. There are five currently recognized species in the genus:*Gerrhonotus farri Bryson and Graham, 2010...
, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
. Their closest living relatives are the heloderma
Heloderma
Heloderma, the only genus of the family Helodermatidae, consists of venomous lizards native to the southwestern United States, Mexico and as far south as Guatemala. It includes two separate species, with six subspecies...
tid lizards. They have hard osteoderm
Osteoderm
Osteoderms are bony deposits forming scales, plates or other structures in the dermal layers of the skin. Osteoderms are found in many groups of extant and extinct reptiles, including lizards, various groups of dinosaurs , crocodilians, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, placodonts, and hupehsuchians...
s beneath their scales, and many of the species have reduced or absent limbs, giving them a snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
-like appearance, although others are fully limbed.
Anguids are carnivorous or insectivorous
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, and inhabit a wide range of different habitats. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species. Most species are terrestrial, although some climb trees.
Anguids have a relatively good fossil record. The oldest known anguid is Odaxosaurus, from the late Campanian of Canada, approximately 75 million years ago, and anguids are relatively common as fossils the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
and Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
of western North America. Odaxosaurus and other Late Cretaceous anguids already exhibit many features found in living anguids, including chisel-like teeth and armor plates in the skin, suggesting a long evolutionary history for the group. The anguids are particularly diverse during the Paleocene and Eocene in North America; some species, such as Glyptosaurus, grew to large size and evolved a highly specialized crushing dentition. The long fossil record for Anguidae in North America suggests that the group probably evolved in North America during the Cretaceous before dispersing to Europe in the Paleogene.
Classification
- Subfamily Anguinae
- Genus AnguisAnguisAnguis, or the slow worm, is a small genus of lizard in the family Anguidae. It has two described species.Although they are lizards, slow worms have lost their limbs completely and are often mistaken as snakes. Slow-worms typically grow to between , with the females slightly larger than the males...
- Slow worms (2 species) - Genus OphisaurusGlass lizardThe glass lizards or glass snakes, genus Ophisaurus, are a group of reptiles that resemble snakes, but are actually lizards. Although most species have no legs, their head shape and the fact that they have movable eyelids and external ear openings identify them as lizards. A few species have very...
- Glass lizards (13 species) - Genus PseudopusScheltopusikThe Scheltopusik or European Legless Lizard is a large glass lizard found from southern Europe to Central Asia. Its common name comes from the Russian . It was previously in the genus Ophisaurus but has been placed in its own genus Pseudopus.- Description :This lizard can reach a length of...
- Scheltopusik (1 species)
- Genus Anguis
- Subfamily Diploglossinae
- Genus CelestusCelestusCelestus is a genus of Anguid lizards. It has 25 living member species.-Classification:Genus Celestus*Celestus agasepsoides*Celestus badius*Celestus barbouri*Celestus bivittatus*Celestus costatus...
- Galliwasps (25 extant species) - Genus DiploglossusDiploglossusDiploglossus is a genus of Anguid lizards. It has nineteen described species. Species are found in North and South America.-Classification:Genus Diploglossus *Diploglossus atitlanensis...
- Galliwasps (19 species) - Genus OphiodesOphiodes-Classification:Genus Ophiodes*Ophiodes intermedius*Ophiodes striatus*Ophiodes vertebralis*Ophiodes yacupoi...
- (4 species)
- Genus Celestus
- Subfamily Gerrhonotinae - Alligator lizards
- Genus GerrhonotusGerrhonotusGerrhonotus is a genus of anguid lizards that are commonly referred to as alligator lizards, due to a vague resemblance to the alligator. There are five currently recognized species in the genus:*Gerrhonotus farri Bryson and Graham, 2010...
(4 species) - Alligator lizards - Genus AbroniaAbronia (animal)The genus Abronia, also known as Arboreal Alligator Lizards, belongs to the family of Anguidae. Members of this genus are found in Central to northeastern South America...
(27 species) - Arboreal Alligator lizards
- Genus Gerrhonotus
External links
- http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/families/anguidae.php