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Legless Lizards
Legless lizard may refer to any of several groups of lizards that have independently lost limbs or reduced them to the point of being of no use in locomotion.Pough ''et al.'' 1992. Herpetology: Third Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall:Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. It is the common name for the family Pygopodidae. These lizards are often distinguishable from snakes on the basis of one or more of the following characteristics: *possessing eyelids *possessing external ear openings *lack of broad belly scales *notched rather than forked tongue *having two lungs of roughly equal size (snakes have one short and one very long lung) *having a very long tail (while snakes have a long body and short tail). Every stage of reduction of the shoulder girdle —including complete loss— occurs among limbless squamates, but the pelvic girdle is never completely lost regardless of the degree of limb reduction or loss. At least the ilium is retained in limbless lizards and most basal snakes. Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anguidae
Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. It contains 9 genera and 89 extant species. Common characteristics of this group include a reduced supratemporal arch, striations on the medial faces of tooth crowns, osteoderms, and a lateral fold in the skin of most taxa. The group is divided into two living subfamilies, the legless Anguinae, which contains slow worms and glass lizards, among others, found across the Northern Hemisphere, and Gerrhonotinae, which contains the alligator lizards, native to North and Central America. The family Diploglossidae (which contains the galliwasps) was also formerly included. Morphology and reproduction Anguids have hard osteoderms beneath their scales giving them an armored appearance. Members of the subfamily Anguinae have reduced or absent limbs, giving them a snake-like appearance, while members of Gerrohonotinae are fully limbed. Body type varies among species, with sizes ranging from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scheltopusik
The sheltopusik (''Pseudopus apodus''), also commonly called Pallas's glass lizard, the European legless lizard, or the European glass lizard, is a species of large glass lizard found from Southern Europe to Central Asia. Taxonomy The sheltopusik was previously included in the genus ''Ophisaurus'', but has since been placed in its own genus ''Pseudopus''. It was originally described in 1775 by Peter Simon Pallas as ''Lacerta apoda''. There are three subspecies: * ''P. a. apodus'' (Pallas, 1775) – the type subspecies, ranging from Crimea through Transcaucasia, east to Central Asia as far as Kazakhstan * ''P. a. levantinus'' Jablonski, Ribeiro-Junior, Meiri, Maza, Mikulíček & Janzik, 2021 – restricted to the Levant, from southern Turkey south to Israel and Palestine * ''P. a. thracicus'' (Obst, 1978) – the westernmost subspecies, ranging from Croatia to Greece, east to western Turkey Despite only being described in 2021, ''P. a. levantinus'' is the largest and most gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards for their vocalisations, which differ from species to species. Most geckos in the family Gekkonidae use chirping or clicking sounds in their social interactions. Tokay geckos (''Gekko gecko'') are known for their loud mating calls, and some other species are capable of making hissing noises when alarmed or threatened. They are the most species-rich group of lizards, with about 1,500 different species worldwide. All geckos, except species in the family Eublepharidae lack eyelids; instead, the outer surface of the eyeball has a transparent membrane, the brille. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light. Since they cannot blink, species without eyelids generally lick their own brilles whe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gekkota
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards for their vocalisations, which differ from species to species. Most geckos in the family Gekkonidae use chirping or clicking sounds in their social interactions. Tokay geckos (''Gekko gecko'') are known for their loud mating calls, and some other species are capable of making hissing noises when alarmed or threatened. They are the most species-rich group of lizards, with about 1,500 different species worldwide. All geckos, except species in the family Eublepharidae lack eyelids; instead, the outer surface of the eyeball has a transparent membrane, the brille. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light. Since they cannot blink, species without eyelids generally lick their own brilles when the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach to taxonomy adopted by most biological fields. The common ancestor may be an individual, a population, or a species (extinct or Extant taxon, extant). Clades are nested, one in another, as each branch in turn splits into smaller branches. These splits reflect evolutionary history as populations diverged and evolved independently. Clades are termed ''monophyletic'' (Greek: "one clan") groups. Over the last few decades, the cladistic approach has revolutionized biological classification and revealed surprising evolutionary relationships among organisms. Increasingly, taxonomists try to avoid naming Taxon, taxa that are not clades; that is, taxa that are not Monophyly, monophyletic. Some of the relationships between organisms that the molecul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Mainland Australia, Australia by the wide Torres Strait, though both landmasses lie on the same continental shelf, and were united during episodes of low sea level in the Pleistocene glaciations as the combined landmass of Sahul. Numerous smaller islands are located to the west and east. The island's name was given by Spanish explorer Yñigo Ortiz de Retez during his maritime expedition of 1545 due to the perceived resemblance of the indigenous peoples of the island to those in the Guinea (region), African region of Guinea. The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the nation of Papua New Guinea. The western half, known as Western New Guinea, forms a part of Indonesia and is organized as the provinces of Pap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pygopus
''Pygopus'' is a genus belonging to the Family (biology), family of Australian legless lizards (Pygopodidae). Members of this genus are also commonly called scaly-foot. Species Within the genus ''Pygopus'' the following five species are recognized as being valid."''Pygopus'' ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov. *''Pygopus lepidopodus'' – common scaly-foot *''Pygopus nigriceps'' – hooded scaly-foot, western scaly-foot, black-headed scaly-foot, western hooded scaly-foot *''Pygopus robertsi'' – Robert's scaly-foot, Cape York scaly-foot *''Pygopus schraderi'' – eastern hooded scaly-foot, eastern scaly-foot *''Pygopus steelescotti'' – northern hooded scaly-foot ''Nota bene'': A Binomial nomenclature, binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Pygopus''. References Further reading *George Albert Boulenger, Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pletholax
Pletholax (Keeled Legless Lizard) is a legless lizard occurring in Western Australia. Species Two species are recognized as being valid. *'' Pletholax gracilis'' - slender slider *'' Pletholax edelensis'' - Edel land slider ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ... or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Pletholax''. References Further reading * Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. ... Pygopodidæ ...'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (''Pletholax gracilis'', new combination, p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paradelma
The Brigalow scaly-foot (''Paradelma orientalis''), also known as the Queensland snake-lizard, is a species of legless lizard in the family Pygopodidae. It is endemic to Australia and is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Paradelma''. Cogger, H.G. (2018). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Updated Seventh Edition''. Clayton South VIC, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. 1060 pp. (''Paradelma orientalis'', p. 402). As a member of the family Pygopodidae, ''Paradelma orientalis'' is a snake-like lizard with an elongated tail and no visible limbs apart from a pair of flaps equivalent to the hindlimbs of other lizards. Its body is dark brownish or greyish, with 18–20 rows of glossy scales and a subtle pale sheen. A patch of creamy coloration is present at the back of the head, followed by a black bar. Head scales are large and essentially symmetrical, and the two rows of ventral scales are wide and smooth. The nasal scales contact each other and a large ear hole is visible nea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ophidiocephalus
The bronzeback snake-lizard (''Ophidiocephalus taeniatus'') is a species of lizards in the family Pygopodidae endemic to Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl .... It is monotypic in the genus ''Ophidiocephalus''. References * Pygopodids of Australia Ophidiocephalus Vulnerable fauna of Australia Reptiles described in 1897 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Gecko-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lialis
''Lialis'' is a genus of legless lizards in the family Pygopodidae. The genus is native to Australia and New Guinea. Diet Lizards in the genus ''Lialis'' specialize in eating skinks.Patchell F, Shine R (1986). "Feeding Mechanisms in Pygopodid Lizards: How Can Lialis Swallow Such Large Prey?". ''Journal of Herpetology'' 20 (1): 59-64. They have hinged teeth and kinetic skull joints which flex allowing them to swallow their prey whole. Reproduction Lizards in the genus ''Lialis'' exhibit oviparity. Species The following two species are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *''Lialis burtonis'' *'' Lialis jicari'' References Further reading * Boulenger GA (1885). ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. ... Pygopodidæ ....'' London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Genus ''Lialis'', p. 246). * Gray JE (1835). "Characters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delma
''Delma'' is a genus of lizards in the family Pygopodidae. The genus ''Delma'' contains 22 valid described species, all of which are endemic to Australia. Species Recognized species of ''Delma'' according to thReptile Database *'' Delma australis'' Kluge, 1974 – marble-faced delma *'' Delma borea'' Kluge, 1974 – rusty-topped delma *'' Delma butleri'' Storr, 1987 – Butler's legless lizard, Butler's scalyfoot, spinifex snake-lizard, unbanded delma *'' Delma concinna'' (Kluge, 1974) – javelin lizard *'' Delma desmosa'' Maryan, Aplin & Adams, 2007 – desert delma *'' Delma elegans'' Kluge, 1974 – Pilbara delma *'' Delma fraseri'' Gray, 1831 – Fraser's delma, Fraser's scalyfoot *'' Delma grayii'' A. Smith, 1849 – side-barred delma, Gray's legless lizard *'' Delma hebesa'' Maryan, Brennan, Adams & Aplin, 2015 – heath delma *'' Delma impar'' ( Fischer, 1882) – striped legless lizard *'' Delma inornata'' Kluge, 1974 – patternless delma, olive legless lizard, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
