Phymaturus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Adult male of Phymaturus verdugo | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Liolaemidae |
Genus: | Phymaturus Gravenhorst, 1838 [1] |
Diversity | |
52 species | |
Synonyms | |
CentruraBell, 1843 |
Phymaturus is a genus of iguanian lizards of the family Liolaemidae, a family which was traditionally included in the Iguanidae as a subfamily, but more recently was proposed to warrant family status in the Liolaemidae. Phymaturus is the mid-sized genus of its family, with 50 species altogether known as of 2021; [2] new species are still being discovered, however. [3]
Species of the genus Phymaturus are found in the Andes region south to Patagonia and inhabit a variety of habitats. Their habits are mostly conserved from the ancestral iguanians, in that Phymaturus are generally inhabitants of rocky ground, feed on plants, and give birth to fully developed young. [3]
The genus can be divided into two lineages, which probably represent clades:
palluma group
patagonicus group
More species which may or may not belong to the aforementioned species groups: [2]
Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Phymaturus.
Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana.
Liolaemus is a genus of iguanian lizards, containing many species, all of which are endemic to South America.
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most Iguanias are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. The group has a fossil record that extends back to the Early Jurassic. Today they are scattered occurring in Madagascar, the Fiji and Friendly Islands and Western Hemisphere.
Alsodes is a genus of alsodid frogs found in Chile and Argentina. It is the most species-rich frog genus in Patagonia. Common name spiny-chest frogs has been coined for them.
Iguana is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his book Specimen Medicum, Exhibens Synopsin Reptilium Emendatam cum Experimentis circa Venena. Two species are placed in the genus, the green iguana, which is widespread throughout its range and a popular pet, and the Lesser Antillean iguana, which is native to the Lesser Antilles. Genetic analysis indicates that the green iguana may comprise a complex of multiple species, some of which have been recently described, but the Reptile Database considers all of these as subspecies of the green iguana.
Liolaemus chiliensis is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae, also referred to as the weeping or crying lizard in English. Synonyms for this species include "Liodeira chilensis" and Calotes chiliensis." Less commonly, it is called the Talcahuano Smooth-throated Lizard.
This timeline of dromaeosaurid research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the dromaeosaurids, a group of sickle-clawed, bird-like theropod dinosaurs including animals like Velociraptor. Since the Native Americans of Montana used the sediments of the Cloverly Formation to produce pigments, they may have encountered remains of the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus hundreds of years before these fossils came to the attention of formally trained scientists.
Uquiasaurus is an extinct genus of iguanian lizards represented by the type species Uquiasaurus heptanodonta from the Late Pliocene of Argentina. Uquiasaurus was first described in 2012 on the basis of isolated snout and jaw bones within the Uquía Formation, the namesake of the genus. These bones were preserved in a midden of predatory bird pellets and are part of a microvertebrate assemblage that includes the bones of rodents, marsupials, frogs, birds, and other lizards, one of the few to document the mixing of North and South American faunas during the Great American Interchange. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Uquiasaurus is part of a clade of iguanians that includes the living families Liolaemidae, Leiocephalidae, and Tropiduridae. Below is a cladogram from Daza et al. (2012) showing its phylogenetic relationships:
Saichangurvel is an extinct genus of iguanian lizards from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. It is a member of a clade called Gobiguania, an exclusively Late Cretaceous group of iguanian lizards that was likely endemic to the Gobi Desert. The type species, Saichangurvel davidsoni, was named by paleontologists Jack Conrad and Mark Norell of the American Museum of Natural History in 2007. It is known from a single nearly complete and fully articulated skeleton called IGM 3/858, which was found eroding from a block of sandstone during a thunderstorm at a fossil locality called Ukhaa Tolgod. IGM 3/858 comes from the Djadochta Formation, which is between 75 and 71 million years in age. Just as it is today, the Gobi was a desert during the Cretaceous. IGM 3/858 may have died in a collapsing sand dune, the rapid burial preserving its skeleton in pristine condition.
Anchaurosaurus is an extinct genus of iguanian lizard from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China. It belongs to an extinct clade of iguanians called Gobiguania that was endemic to the Gobi Desert during the Late Cretaceous. The type species, Anchaurosaurus gilmorei, was named in 1995 on the basis of a well-preserved skull and incomplete skeleton from the Djadochta Formation. Compared to other iguanians, Anchaurosaurus has a relatively elongated skull, large eye sockets, and higher tooth crowns. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that among gobiguanians, Anchaurosaurus is most closely related to Zapsosaurus from Mongolia. Below is a cladogram from Daza et al. (2012) showing the phylogenetic relationships of Anchaurosaurus:
Polrussia is an extinct genus of iguanian lizards dating to the Late Cretaceous epoch, found in what is now Mongolia. It belongs to a group of extinct iguanians called Gobiguania that was endemic to the Gobi Desert during the Late Cretaceous. The type species Polrussia mongoliensis was named in 1991 on the basis of a skull found in the Barun Goyot Formation. The genus name refers to the Polish and Russian paleontologists who worked together to find and describe the material. Polrussia has a short skull, slightly pointed and flattened snout, and large eye sockets. The teeth each have one cusp, as opposed to the multiple cusps seen in some other gobiguanians. The skull is only 1.2 centimetres (0.47 in) long, making Polrussia one of the smallest gobiguanians.
Ophryotrocha is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Dorvilleidae.
The Gaiman Formation, in older literature also referred to as Patagonian Marine Formation, is a fossiliferous geologic formation of the Peninsula Valdés Basin in the eastern Chubut Province of northwestern Patagonia, eastern Argentina.
Liolaemus sarmientoi is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae. It is considered a medium sized example of the family, with an average snout–vent length of 76 to 77 mm, with males usually larger than females.
Barry R. Sinervo (1961–2021) was a behavioral ecologist and evolutionary biologist. He was a full professor at University of California Santa Cruz where his research interests included game theory, climate change, herpetology, and animal behavior. One of his major discoveries was of a rock-paper-scissors game in side-blotched lizard mating behaviour. He also discovered evidence of the Baldwin effect in the side-blotched lizard. Sinervo was born in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada, and educated at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, and the University of Washington, Seattle. He died from cancer at age 60 on March 15, 2021.
Uranoscodon is a monotypic genus of iguanomorph lizard, its sole member is the diving lizard, brown tree climber or mophead iguana, belonging to the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. It is found in tropical South America.
Liolaemus cazianiae is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae. The species is endemic to Argentina.
Liolaemus donosobarrosi, also known commonly as Donoso-Barros' tree iguana, is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae. The species is endemic to Argentina.
Liolaemus duellmani, also known commonly as Duellman's tree iguana, is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae. The species is endemic to Argentina.