Phrynosomatidae
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous to recent,
Emerald swift (Sceloporus malachiticus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Iguania
Clade: Pleurodonta
Family: Phrynosomatidae
Fitzinger, 1843[1]
Genera

Callisaurus
Cophosaurus
†Desertiguana
Holbrookia
Petrosaurus
Phrynosoma
Sceloporus
Uma
Urosaurus
Uta

The Phrynosomatidae are a diverse family of lizards, sometimes classified as a subfamily (Phrynosomatinae), found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations.[2]

The earliest fossil remains of this group are known from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia and belong to the genus Desertiguana.[3] As phrynosomatids are only known from North America, these remains indicate that phrynosomatids likely had a wider distribution in prehistoric times.

Genera

The Phrynosomatidae are organised into nine genera.

The earless taxa (Cophosaurus and Holbrookia) are sister genera.

Family Phrynosomatidae

References

  1. ↑ Wikispecies.
  2. ↑ Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  3. ↑ "Fossilworks: Desertiguana". www.fossilworks.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  4. ↑ Reeder, Tod W.; Wiens, John J. (1996). "Evolution of the Lizard Family Phrynosomatidae as Inferred from Diverse Types of Data". Herpetological Monographs. 10: 43–84. doi:10.2307/1466980. ISSN 0733-1347. JSTOR 1466980.


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