| Xenosauridae Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
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| Xenosaurus platyceps | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Carusioidea |
| Family: | Xenosauridae Cope, 1886 |
| Genera | |
| |
Xenosauridae is a family of anguimorph lizards whose only living representative is the genus Xenosaurus , which is native to Central America. Xenosauridae also includes the extinct genera Exostinus and Restes . Also known as knob-scaled lizards, they have rounded, bumpy scales and osteoderms. Most living species prefer humid, rocky habitats, although they are widespread within their native regions, with some inhabiting semi-arid scrub environments. They are carnivorous or insectivorous, and give birth to live young. [1]
Shinisaurus , the Chinese crocodile lizard, was once also regarded as a member of Xenosauridae, but most recent studies of the evolutionary relationships of anguimorphs consider Shinisaurus to be more closely related to monitor lizards and helodermatids than to Xenosaurus. [2] Xenosauridae is part of a larger clade or evolutionary grouping called Carusioidea, which, in addition to xenosaurids, includes the extinct genus Carusia . [3]
The oldest xenosaurids are known from the Cretaceous, including the Late Cretaceous of North America [4] and Early Cretaceous of Asia. [5]
