Phrynosomatidae
Encyclopedia
Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizard
s, found from Panama
to the extreme south of Canada
. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy desert
s, although the spiny lizard
s 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.
The earless taxa (Cophosaurus and Holbrookia) are sister genera.
Family Phrynosomatidae
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, found from Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
to the extreme south of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, although the spiny lizard
Spiny lizard
The spiny lizards are the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States.- Taxonomy :...
s prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
edges, and the short-horned lizard
Short-horned Lizard
The Short-horned Lizard is a small lizard that occurs in North America. Like other horned lizards, it is often wrongly called the "Horned Toad" or "Horny Toad," but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian. It is one of five species of lizards in Canada...
lives in prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
or sagebrush
Artemisia tridentata
Artemisia tridentata is a shrub or small tree from the family Asteraceae. Some botanists treat it in the segregate genus Seriphidium, as S. tridentatum W. A. Weber, but this is not widely followed...
environments. The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous species, with the latter being more common in species living at high elevations.
Genera
There are 136 species, organised into 10 genera in this family.The earless taxa (Cophosaurus and Holbrookia) are sister genera.
Family Phrynosomatidae
- CallisaurusZebra-tailed lizardZebra-tailed lizards are a genus of phrynosomatid lizards endemic to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.-Habitat:...
BlainvilleHenri Marie Ducrotay de BlainvilleHenri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville was a French zoologist and anatomist.Blainville was born at Arques, near Dieppe. In about 1796 he went to Paris to study painting, but he ultimately devoted himself to natural history, and attracted the attention of Georges Cuvier, for whom he occasionally...
, 1835 – zebra-tailed lizards - CophosaurusGreater earless lizardThe greater earless lizard is a species of earless lizard endemic to the southwestern United States. It is called "greater" because it grows larger than the earless lizards of the genus Holbrookia, to which it is closely related. While C...
TroschelFranz Hermann TroschelFranz Hermann Troschel was a German zoologist who was born in Spandau. He studied mathematics and natural history at the University of Berlin, and beginning in 1840 was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein at the Humboldt Museum of Natural History in Berlin...
, 1852 – greater earless lizards - HolbrookiaHolbrookiaHolbrookia is a genus of earless lizards, known commonly as the lesser earless lizards, which contains three recognized species that are found throughout the southwestern and central United States, and northern Mexico. They are characterized by having no external ear openings, presumably to prevent...
GirardCharles Frédéric GirardCharles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard...
, 1851 – earless lizards - PetrosaurusCalifornia rock lizardThe California rock lizards are a genus of New World lizards in the family Phrynosomatidae.-Geographic range:They are endemic to southern California and Baja California, Mexico.-Species:...
BoulengerGeorge Albert BoulengerGeorge Albert Boulenger FRS was a Belgian-British zoologist who identified over 2000 new animal species, chiefly fish, reptiles and amphibians.-Life:...
, 1885 – California rock lizards - PhrynosomaHorned lizardHorned lizards are a genus of lizards which are the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad", "horny toad", or "horned frog", but it is neither a toad nor a frog. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which...
WiegmannArend Friedrich August WiegmannArend Friedrich August Wiegmann was a German zoologist. He studied medicine and philology at the University of Leipzig, and afterwards was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein in Berlin...
, 1828 – horned lizards - SatorSatorThe genus Sator contains two species of spiny lizards endemic to Baja California, Mexico.-Species:*Sator angustus Dickerson, 1919*Sator grandaevus Dickerson, 1919-Taxonomy:...
Dickerson, 1919 – sators - SceloporusSpiny lizardThe spiny lizards are the genus Sceloporus in the family Phrynosomatidae. This genus includes some of the most commonly seen lizards in the United States.- Taxonomy :...
WiegmannArend Friedrich August WiegmannArend Friedrich August Wiegmann was a German zoologist. He studied medicine and philology at the University of Leipzig, and afterwards was an assistant to Martin Lichtenstein in Berlin...
, 1828 – spiny lizards - UmaFringe-toed lizardFringe-toed lizards are reptiles of the genus Uma in the family Phrynosomatidae. They are adapted for life in sandy deserts.-Description:...
BairdSpencer Fullerton BairdSpencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
, 1859 – fringe-toed lizards - UrosaurusUrosaurusThe North American genus Urosaurus belongs to the New World Iguanian family Phrynosomatidae. They can be distinguished from members of the genus Sceloporus by the presence of a gular fold and granular lateral scales...
Hallowell, 1854 – tree and brush lizards - UtaSide-blotched lizardSide-blotched lizards are lizards of the genus Uta. They are some of the most abundant and commonly observed lizards in the deserts of western North America. They commonly grow to six inches including the tail, with the males normally being the larger sex. Males often have bright throat colors....
BairdSpencer Fullerton BairdSpencer Fullerton Baird was an American ornithologist, ichthyologist and herpetologist. Starting in 1850 he was assistant-secretary and later secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C...
& GirardCharles Frédéric GirardCharles Frédéric Girard was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz. In 1847, he accompanied Agassiz as his assistant to Harvard...
, 1852 – side-blotched lizards