Lepidosauria

Lepidosaurs
Temporal range:
Middle Triassic - Present,[1] 240–0 Ma
Collage of five lepidosaurs. Clockwise from top left: tuatara, black mamba, green iguana, Smaug breyeri and reticulated python
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Clade: Lepidosauromorpha
Superorder: Lepidosauria
Haeckel, 1866
Orders

The Lepidosauria (/ˌlɛpɪdoʊˈsɔːriə/, from Greek meaning scaled lizards) is a subclass or superorder of reptiles, containing the orders Squamata and Rhynchocephalia. Squamata also includes lizards and snakes.[2] Squamata contains over 9,000 species, making it by far the most species-rich and diverse order of non-avian reptiles in the present day.[3] Rhynchocephalia was a formerly widespread and diverse group of reptiles in the Mesozoic Era.[4] However, it is represented by only one living species: the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), a superficially lizard-like reptile native to New Zealand.[5][6]

Lepidosauria is a monophyletic group (i.e. a clade), containing all descendants of the last common ancestor of squamates and rhynchocephalians.[7] Lepidosaurs can be distinguished from other reptiles via several traits, such as large keratinous scales which may overlap one another. Purely in the context of modern taxa, Lepidosauria can be considered the sister taxon to Archelosauria, which includes Testudines (turtles), Aves (birds) and Crocodilia (crocodilians). Lepidosauria is encompassed by Lepidosauromorpha, a broader group defined as all reptiles (living or extinct) closer to lepidosaurs than to archosaurs.

  1. ^ Jones, Marc EH; Anderson, Cajsa Lisa; Hipsley, Christy A; Müller, Johannes; Evans, Susan E; Schoch, Rainer R (25 September 2013). "Integration of molecules and new fossils supports a Triassic origin for Lepidosauria (lizards, snakes, and tuatara)". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13: 208. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-208. PMC 4016551. PMID 24063680.
  2. ^ Pyron, RA; Burbrink, FT; Wiens, JJ (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4,161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13: 93. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93. PMC 3682911. PMID 23627680.
  3. ^ Uetz, Peter (13 January 2010). "The original descriptions of reptiles". Zootaxa. 2334 (1): 59–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2334.1.3.
  4. ^ Jones, M.E.H. (2009). "Dentary Tooth Shape in Sphenodon and Its Fossil Relatives (Diapsida: Lepidosauria: Rhynchocephalia)". Frontiers of Oral Biology. 13: 9–15. doi:10.1159/000242382. ISBN 978-3-8055-9229-1. PMID 19828962.
  5. ^ Hay, Jennifer M.; Sarre, Stephen D.; Lambert, David M.; Allendorf, Fred W.; Daugherty, Charles H. (June 2010). "Genetic diversity and taxonomy: a reassessment of species designation in tuatara (Sphenodon: Reptilia)". Conservation Genetics. 11 (3): 1063–1081. doi:10.1007/s10592-009-9952-7. hdl:10072/30480. S2CID 24965201.
  6. ^ Jones, M.E.H.; Cree, A. (2012). "Tuatara". Current Biology. 22 (23): 986–987. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2012.10.049. PMID 23218010.
  7. ^ Evans, S.E.; Jones, M.E.H. (2010). "The Origin, early history and diversification of lepidosauromorph reptiles". In Bandyopadhyay, S. (ed.). New Aspects of Mesozoic Biodiversity. Lecture Notes in Earth Sciences. Vol. 132. pp. 27–44. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-10311-7_2. ISBN 978-3-642-10310-0.