This is a list of the extant Lacertilia families. Larcertilia is the suborder of reptiles commonly known as lizards.

Taxonomy

There are five infraorders which separate the lizards, these are: Diploglossa, Gekkota

Gekkota

Gekkota is an infraorder of reptiles in the suborder Scleroglossa, comprising all geckos and the limbless Pygopodidae. The legless lizards of the family Dibamidae are also referred to as blind lizards but recent molecular phylogenies suggest they are not gekkotans.Gekkota are a suborder of...

, Iguania

Iguania

Iguania is the suborder of Squamata that contains the iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and "New World lizards" such as anoles and Phrynosomatidae...

, Platynota

Platynota

Platynota is a group of anguimorph lizards. Since it was named in 1839, it has included several groups, including monitor lizards, snakes, mosasaurs, and helodermatids. Its taxonomic use still varies, as it is sometimes considered equivalent to the group Varanoidea and other times viewed as a...

 and Scincomorpha

Scincomorpha

Scincomorpha is an infraorder of saurians....

. This separation is based mainly on morphological similarities between family groups.

The Diploglossans and Platynotans are two closely related infraorders which are have very diverse families. Very few generalisations can be placed upon these families morphologically. Many species are limbless, while others have fully formed limbs. It is believed that these lizards are the closest lizard relation to the snakes.

The Gekkotans are the second most diverse group of lizards. They can be morphologically distinguished by the absence of temporal arches, which allows greater moveability of the head. Most species also have cloaca

Cloaca

In zoological anatomy, a cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, reproductive, and urinary tracts of certain animal species...

l sacs and fixed eyelids.

The Iguanians are another diverse group of lizards. All iguanians are fully limbed. Most species ambush their prey, capture it with their tongue and have skin modification, such as crests and fans, used for many different reasons.

The Scincomorphans are the most diverse group of lizards, accounting for almost half the species of lizards. The major distinguishing morphological feature of the Scincomorphs, is the presence of unsocketed teeth on the inner face of the jaw bones. They also lack the skin modifications present in many of the iguanians. This family contains varying degrees of limb reduction, from completely formed limbs to completely absent of limbs.

As with most taxonomic classifications, there are many different interpretations of the evolutionary relationships. These include moving of families to different infraorders, merging or splitting of the infraorders and merging and splitting of the families.

Diploglossa
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Anguidae Anguidae The Anguidae is a large and diverse family of lizards native to the northern hemisphere. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizards, and alligator lizards, among others. Anguidae is divided into three subfamilies and contains 94 species in eight genera. Their closest living relatives are the... Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel was a German naturalist. He was a student of, and worked as an assistant to, André Marie Constant Duméril at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France, cataloging and classifying species of reptiles... , 1811	Glass lizards	Slow Worm Anguis fragilis Anguis fragilis, or slow worm, slow-worm or slowworm, is a limbless reptile native to Eurasia. It is also sometimes referred to as the blindworm or blind worm, though the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds considers this to be incorrect.Slow worms are semi-fossorial lizards spending much...  (Anguis fragilis)
Anniellidae Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1852	American legless lizards	California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra)
Xenosauridae Xenosauridae The Xenosauridae is a family of lizards native to Central America and China. Also known as knob-scaled lizards, they have rounded, bumpy scales and osteoderms. Most species prefer moist or semi-aquatic habitats, although they are widespread within their native regions, with some even inhabiting... Cope Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope was an American paleontologist and comparative anatomist, as well as a noted herpetologist and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper at the age of nineteen... , 1866	Knob-scaled lizards	Chinese Crocodile Lizard Chinese crocodile lizard The Chinese crocodile lizard is a semi-aquatic lizard found only in cool forests in the Hunan, Guangxi Zhuang, and Guizhou provinces of China. The Chinese crocodile lizard spends much of its time in shallow water or in overhanging branches and vegetation, where it hunts its prey of fish, tadpoles,...  (Shinisaurus crocodilurus)
Gekkota
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Dibamidae Dibamidae Dibamidae is a family of legless lizards found in tropical forests. Relatively little is known about the dibamid lizards, which are native to Mexico, SE Asia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands and western New Guinea.... Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1884	Blind lizards	Dibamus nicobaricum Dibamus nicobaricum Dibamus nicobaricum is a species of lizard found in the Nicobar Islands of India.-Description:Snout conical, obtuse, slightly projecting. 4 enlarged shields on the head besides the rostral and labials, viz...	-
Gekkonidae Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1825	Geckos	Thick-tailed Gecko Underwoodisaurus milii Underwoodisaurus milii is a species of Gekkonidae also classified as Nephrurus milii. It is commonly known as the thick-tailed or barking gecko. These names come from its distinctive plump tail and sharp, barking defensive call....  (Underwoodisaurus milii)
Pygopodidae Pygopodidae Pygopodidae is a family of squamates that have reduced or absent limbs and are related to the geckos. There are at least 35 species in two subfamilies and eight genera. They have unusually long, slender, bodies, giving them a strong resemblance to snakes... Boulenger George Albert Boulenger George Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:... , 1884	Legless lizards	Burton's Snake Lizard (Lialis burtonis)	-
Iguania
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Agamidae Agamidae Agamids, lizards of the family Agamidae, include more than 300 species in Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Phylogenetically they may be sister to the Iguanidae, and have a similar appearance. Agamids usually have... Spix Johann Baptist von Spix Dr. Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix was a German naturalist.Spix was born in Höchstadt, Middle Franconia, as the seventh of eleven children. His boyhood home is the site of the Spix Museum , opened to the public in 2004... , 1825	Agamas	Eastern Bearded Dragon Eastern Bearded Dragon The Eastern bearded dragon is an agamid lizard found in wooded parts of Australia. It is one of a group of species known commonly as Bearded Dragons...  (Pogona barbata)
Chamaeleonidae Gray John Edward Gray John Edward Gray, FRS was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray .... , 1825	Chameleons	Veiled Chameleon Veiled Chameleon The veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus, is a large species of chameleon found in the mountain regions of Yemen, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. It is also sometimes referred to as the Yemen Chameleon....  (Chamaeleo calyptratus)
Corytophanidae Corytophanidae Corytophanidae is a family of lizards also called casque head lizards or helmeted lizards. They typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of Basiliscus, but is present in both sexes of Corytophanes and Laemanctus... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Casquehead lizards	Plumed Basilisk Plumed basilisk The plumed basilisk, Basiliscus plumifrons, also called a green basilisk, double crested basilisk, or Jesus Christ lizard, is a species of corytophanid to Latin America.-Taxonomy and etymology:...  (Basiliscus plumifrons)
Crotaphytidae Crotaphytidae The family Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are desert-dwelling reptiles native to the southwest USA and northern Mexico. They are very fast-moving animals, with long limbs and tails, and are carnivorous, feeding mainly on insects.... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Collared and leopard lizards	Common Collared Lizard Common Collared Lizard The Common collared lizard, Oklahoma collared lizard or collared lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, is a North American lizard that can reach a foot long in length , with a large head and powerful jaws. They are well known for the ability to run on their hind legs, looking like small dinosaurs...  (Crotaphytus collaris)
Hoplocercidae Hoplocercidae Family Hoplocercidae, or the hoplocercids, are a family of lizards native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. There are ten described species in three genera... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Wood lizards or clubtails	Club-tail Iguana (Hoplocercus spinosus)	-
Iguanidae Iguanidae Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...	Iguanas	Marine Iguana Marine iguana The Marine Iguana is an iguana found only on the Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among modern lizards, to live and forage in the sea, making it a marine reptile. The Iguana can dive over 30 ft into the water. It has spread to all the islands in the archipelago, and is...  (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)
Leiosauridae Leiosauridae Leiosauridae is a family of lizards. It contains the following genera:*Genus Diplolaemus*Genus Leiosaurus*Genus Pristidactylus... Frost et al., 2001	-	Darwin's Iguana (Diplolaemus darwinii)	-
Opluridae Opluridae The Opluridae, or Madagascan iguanas, are a family of moderately sized lizards native to Madagascar. There are seven species in two genera, with most of the species being in Oplurus. The family includes species that live amongst rocks, some that live in trees, and one that inhabits sand dunes... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Madagascan iguanas	Chalarodon Chalarodon Chalarodon is a genus of Malagasy terrestrial iguanian lizard. Its only species is Chalarodon madagascariensis.Its Malagasy relatives are the iguanians of the genus Oplurus.It is common in some of the drier areas of Madagascar....  (Chalarodon madagascariensis)	-
Phrynosomatidae Phrynosomatidae Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizards, 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... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards	Greater Earless Lizard Greater earless lizard The greater earless lizard is a species of earless lizard endemic to the southwestern United States. It is called "greater" because it grows larger than the earless lizards of the genus Holbrookia, to which it is closely related. While C...  (Cophosaurus texanus)
Polychrotidae Polychrotidae Polychrotidae is a family of lizards commonly known as anoles . NCBI places the anole in subfamily Polychrotinae of the family Iguanidae. Four genera are common: Anolis, Norops, Phenacosaurus, and Polychrus.... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Anoles	Caronlina Anole Carolina anole The Carolina anole is an arboreal lizard found primarily in the southeastern United States and some Caribbean islands. Other common names include the green anole, American anole and red-throated anole...  (Anolis carolinensis)
Tropiduridae Tropiduridae The Tropiduridae is a family of iguanid lizards native to South America and the West Indies. Commonly known as Neotropical ground lizards, most are ground-dwelling animals, and the family includes some lizards adapted to relatively cold climates, including those of the Andes mountains and Tierra... Frost & Etheridge, 1989	Neotropical ground lizards	(Microlophus peruvianus)
Platynota
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Helodermatidae	Gila monsters	Gila Monster Gila monster The Gila monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora...  (Heloderma suspectum)
Lanthanotidae Lanthanotidae The Earless monitor lizard is a semi-aquatic, brown lizard native to northern Borneo. It is the only species in the family Lanthanotidae, a group related to the true monitor lizards, as well as to the beaded lizards....	Earless Monitor	Earless Monitor Lanthanotidae The Earless monitor lizard is a semi-aquatic, brown lizard native to northern Borneo. It is the only species in the family Lanthanotidae, a group related to the true monitor lizards, as well as to the beaded lizards....  (Lanthanotus borneensis)	-
Varanidae Varanidae Varanidae is a group of lizards of the superfamily Varanoidea. The family is a group of carnivorous lizards which includes the largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, and the crocodile monitor. Varanidae contains the living genus Varanus and a number of extinct taxa...	Monitors lizards	Perentie Perentie The Perentie is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia, and fourth largest lizard on earth, after the Komodo Dragon, crocodile monitor and the water monitor...  (Varanus giganteus)
Scincomorpha
Family	Common Names	Example Species	Example Photo
Cordylidae Cordylidae Cordylidae is a family of small to medium sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as "Girdled", Spinytail lizards or Girdle-tail lizards. Girdled lizards are diurnal and insectivorous...	Spinytail lizards	Girdle-tailed lizard (Cordylus warreni)
Gerrhosauridae Gerrhosauridae The Gerrhosauridae is a family of lizards native to Africa and Madagascar. Also known as plated lizards, they live in a range of habitats, from rocky crevices to sand dunes. Their form is variable, with some species having four fully developed limbs, and others with vestigial hind limbs only...	Plated lizards	Sudan Plated Lizard Sudan plated lizard Sudan plated lizard , also known as the great plated lizard or rough-scaled plated Lizard is a lizard of the Gerrhosauridae family.-Physical description:...  (Gerrhosaurus major)
Gymnophthalmidae Gymnophthalmidae Gymnophthalmidae is a family of lizards, sometimes known as spectacled lizards or microteiids. They are called 'spectacled' because of their transparent lower eyelids, so they can still see with closed eyes...	Spectacled lizards	-	-
Lacertidae Lacertidae Lacertidae is the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. The group includes the genus Lacerta, which contains some of the most commonly seen lizard species in Europe... Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel was a German naturalist. He was a student of, and worked as an assistant to, André Marie Constant Duméril at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France, cataloging and classifying species of reptiles... , 1811	Wall or true lizards	Ocellated Lizard (Lacerta lepida)
Scincidae Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel Nicolaus Michael Oppel was a German naturalist. He was a student of, and worked as an assistant to, André Marie Constant Duméril at the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, France, cataloging and classifying species of reptiles... , 1811	Skinks	Western Blue-tongued Skink Western Blue-tongued Lizard The Western Blue-tongued Lizard, Tiliqua occipitalis, is a variety of large skink native to Australia...  (Tiliqua occipitalis)
Teiidae Teiidae Teiidae is a family of lizards native to the Americas, generally known as whiptails. The group includes the parthenogenic genera Cnemidophorus and Aspidoscelis, and the non-parthenogenic Tupinambis. It has over 230 member species in ten genera...	Tegus or whiptails	Blue Tegu Blue Tegu The blue tegu is a smaller tegu, growing to about 1 meter long, renowned for its light blue coloration, which is most intense on adult males. Even immature animals can be easily distinguished from other mostly black and white tegu species by the "singe mark" on their nose...  (Tupinambis teguixin)
Xantusiidae	Night lizards	Granite Night Lizard Granite night lizard The Granite night lizard is a flat-bodied species of lizard with a broad, flat head and a soft skin. It has rounded, dark dorsal spots on a pale yellow or cream background. Its scales are granular on its dorsum, but large and squarish on the ventral surface... (Xantusia henshawi)