Keeltail iguanas
Keeltail iguanas | ||||||||||||
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Tropiduridae | ||||||||||||
Bell , 1843 |
The keeltail iguanas (Tropiduridae) are a family of the iguanas (Iguania) that live in Central and South America , including the Galapagos Islands . They are small lizards that reach head-to-trunk lengths of four to 15 centimeters. They occur in very different ecosystems, in rain and dry forests , in savannas , deserts and on the coast of the sea.
features
Apomorphies that distinguish the keeltail iguanas from other iguanas include: a. the reduced angular, a posterior extension at the splenial, both mandibular bones, an incomplete gular fold and an enlarged, central sternal fontanelle .
Way of life
The lizards live terrestrially on the ground, some climb rocks or in trees. Most species are diurnal insectivores, some members of the genus Tropidurus have specialized in ants , others also eat fruits and flowers. In some Tropidurus species, the females are brightly colored throughout the year. Other female Tropidurus show the color only during the breeding season. All Tropiduridae lay eggs.
Systematics
The keel-tailed iguanas were initially considered a subfamily of the iguanas (Iguanidae) until they were raised to the rank of a family by Frost and Etheridge in 1989. They are most closely related to the Phrynosomatidae , the Malagasy Opluridae, and possibly the Polychrotidae .
In 2001 Frost and Etheridge raised the subfamilies Leiocephalinae and Liolaeminae, which had previously belonged to the keeltail iguanas, to the rank of families, so that only the seven genera of the former subfamily Tropidurinae with around 110 species belong to the keeltail iguanas .
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Tropiduridae Bell, 1843
- Microlophus
- Plesiomicrolophus
- Plica
- Stenocercus
- Tropidurus
- Mandrel tail lizards ( Uracentron )
- Pug-headed iguanas ( Uranoscodon )
literature
- Darrel R. Frost, Richard Etheridge, Daniel Janies, Tom A. Titus: Total Evidence, Sequence Alignment, Evolution of Polychrotid Lizards, and a Reclassification of the Iguania (Squamata: Iguania) (= American Museum Novitates. No. 3343). American Museum of Natural History, New York NY 2001, online .
Web links
- Tropiduridae in The Reptile Database
- Animal Diversity Web Family Tropiduridae