Phrynosomatidae

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.

  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". Paleobiology Database. Archived from the original on 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2022-07-20.

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