Crotaphytidae
Family of lizards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Crotaphytidae, or collared lizards, are a family[1][2][3] of desert-dwelling reptiles native to the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Crotaphytinae, within the clade Pleurodonta. They are very fast-moving animals, with long limbs and tails; some species are capable of achieving bipedal running at top speed. This species is carnivorous, feeding mainly on insects and smaller lizards. The two genera contain 12 species.
| Crotaphytidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Crotaphytus collaris | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Infraorder: | Pleurodonta |
| Family: | Crotaphytidae H.M. Smith & Brodie, 1982 |
| Genera | |
They may be related to the extinct Arretosauridae of Paleogene Asia due to similar jaw morphologies, though other studies classify the Arretosauridae in Acrodonta with other Old World iguanians.[4][5]
Technical characters
- Femoral pores present
- Interparietal scale small (distinctly smaller than ear opening)
- Never have an enlarged middorsal scale row or fringe
- Never have a divided rostral scale
- No bony spines or projecting ridges on their heads
- No scales projecting over their ears, and no scales forming a prominent fringe on sides of toes as in Phrynosomatidae
Species
| Image | Genus | Living species |
|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | Gambelia Baird, 1859[6][7] (leopard lizards) |
|
 | Crotaphytus Holbrook, 1842[6][8] (collared lizards) |
|
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in different genus.