Real lizards

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Real lizards
Spanish wall lizard (Podarcis hispanica)

Spanish wall lizard ( Podarcis hispanica )

Systematics
without rank: Amniotes (Amniota)
without rank: Sauropsida
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Lacertibaenia
Family : Real lizards
Scientific name
Lacertidae
Gray , 1825
Lizards mating ( Simplon 2015)

The real lizards (Lacertidae) are a reptile family within the scale reptiles (Squamata). In German, the term “ lizards ” is often used synonymously . Their representatives occur in Europe, Africa and Asia as well as on offshore islands and prefer sun-warm, predominantly dry habitats. They usually feed on small invertebrates , and occasionally seeds and fruits.

The term "lizard" was the inspiration for the term lizard, which was created in 1816 from the former by Lorenz Oken .

features

Most species are small, slender, agile, ground-dwelling animals. The total length ranges from 12 to 90 cm, with smaller shapes predominating. Four fifteen limbs are always well developed, as is a very long tail. Unlike other lizards, there are no sticky toes, throat pouches or back combs. The top of the head has symmetrical shields. A zygomatic arch is present, but the temple opening is covered by skin bones that have grown together with the skull bones. The dentition is pleurodont, i.e. H. the teeth sit without roots on the inner edge of the jaw, they are attached to the side of the inner edge of the jaw on a longitudinal ridge and fixed with a ring band. The lateral teeth often have two to four cusps. The eyelids are usually freely movable and the pupils are round. The outside of the eardrums is clearly recognizable. The throat is almost always separated from the breast scales by a scaled cross band, the so-called collar. The ventral scales, which are usually arranged in regular longitudinal and transverse rows, are larger than the back scales. Glandular scales (thigh pores) on the underside of the thighs are usually present; from these the males secrete a waxy mass at the mating season. The tail can be thrown off at predetermined breaking points ( autotomy ) and later regenerated.

Often there is sexual dimorphism in that the males are more vividly colored than the more inconspicuous females. Almost all species lay eggs ( oviparous ), only some are viviparous (here: ovoviviparous , including the forest lizard ), a few reproduce parthenogenetically .

distribution

Real lizards are found in Europe , Africa and from Middle East to Southeast Asia . They did not reach Australia and they cannot be found on either of the American continents . In Germany and Switzerland there are five species, the sand lizard ( Lacerta agilis ), the western ( L. bilineata ) and eastern green lizard ( L. viridis ), the wall lizard ( Podarcis muralis ) and the forest lizard ( Zootoca vivipara ). In southern Austria, the Croatian mountain lizard ( Iberolacerta horvathi ) is added.

Systematics

The phylogenetic relationships and thus the taxonomy of the Lacertidae are controversial. Classically, they are counted among the skink-like (Scincomorpha), but according to more recent molecular genetic analyzes they seem to be more closely related to the double creeps (Amphisbaenia) with which they form the taxon Lacertibaenia . (compare also: Systematics of the Squamata )

There are currently around 300 species in more than 40 genera. The following system of genera and species is based on the online database "Reptile Database".

Cladogram of the real lizards
  Lacertidae  
  Gallotiinae  

 Canary lizards ( Gallotia )


   

 Sand runner ( psammodromus )



  Lacertinae  

 Eremiadini


  Lacertini  


 Takydromus


   

 Zootoca



   


 Scelarcis


   

 Teira



   


 Kiel lizards ( Algyroides )


   

 Phoenicolacerta


   

 Anatololacerta


   

 Wall lizards  ( Podarcis )





   


 Iranolacerta


   

 Parvilacerta


   

 Lacerta


   

 Timon





   


 Iranolacerta


   

 Caucasian rock lizards ( Darevskia )


   

 Iberolacerta




   


 Apathya


   

 Hellenolacerta



   

 Dinarolacerta


   

 Archaeolacerta


   

 Dalmatolacerta












Individual evidence

  1. ^ Albrecht Greule : Short words in a historical view. In: Jochen A. Bär, Thorsten Roelcke, Anja Steinhauer (eds.): Linguistic brevity. Conceptual, structural and pragmatic aspects (= linguistics - impulses & tendencies. Vol. 27). de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2007, ISBN 978-3-11-017542-4 , p. 128, limited preview in the Google book search.
  2. ↑ Klaus Kabisch: Dictionary of Herpetology. Gustav Fischer, Jena 1990, ISBN 3-334-00307-8 , p. 462.
  3. ↑ Volker Storch , Ulrich Welsch : Systematic Zoology. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Spectrum - Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg et al. 2004, ISBN 3-8274-1112-2 .
  4. ↑ Lexicon of Biology. Volume 8: Diterpenes to brain centers. Herder, Freiburg (Breisgau) 1984, ISBN 3-451-19643-3 .
  5. ↑ Eric R. Pianka, Laurie J. Vitt: Lizards. Windows to the Evolution of Diversity (= Organisms and Environments. Vol. 5). University of California Press, Berkeley CA et al. 2003, ISBN 0-520-23401-4 , pp. 206-208.
  6. ↑ Nicolas Vidal, S. Blair Hedges: The phylogeny of squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) inferred from nine nuclear protein-coding genes. In: Comptes Rendus Biologies. Vol. 328, No. 10/11, 2005, pp. 1000-1008, doi : 10.1016 / j.crvi.2005.10.001 , digital version (PDF; 160.48 KB) .
  7. ^ Lacertidae in The Reptile Database
  8. ^ E. Nicholas Arnold, Oscar Arribas, Salvador Carranza: Systematics of the Palaearctic and Oriental lizard tribe Lacertini (Squamata: Lacertidae: Lacertinae), with descriptions of eight new genera (= Zootaxa . 1430). Magnolia Press, Auckland 2007, digital version (PDF; 2.76 MB) .

Web links

Commons : Real lizards (Lacertidae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files