Gymnophthalmidae

Alopoglossus atriventris, photographed by William Quatman.

Belongs within: Lacertoidea.
Contains: Ecpleopini, Cercosaurini, Gymnophthalminae.

The Gymnophthalmidae, microteiids, are a family of mostly small lizards found in South and Central America. Many species have developed elongate bodies and reduced limbs, and eyelids and external ear openings have also been lost numerous times within the family (Pellegrino et al. 2001).

See also: Small lizards of South America.

<==Gymnophthalmidae
    |  i. s.: Ophiognomon R88
    |         Scolecosaurus R88
    |--Alopoglossus Boulenger 1885 [Alopoglossinae] PR01
    |    |  i. s.: A. angulatus CM07
    |    |--A. atriventris PR01
    |    `--+--A. carinicaudatus PR01
    |       `--A. copii PR01
    `--+--Cercosaurinae PR01
       |    |--Ecpleopini PR01
       |    `--Cercosaurini PR01
       `--+--Gymnophthalminae PR01
          `--Rhachisaurus Pellegrino, Rodrigues et al. 2001 [Rhachisaurinae] PR01
               `--*R. brachylepis (Dixon 1974) [=Anotosaura brachylepis] PR01

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CM07] Cokendolpher, J. C., & P. G. Mitov. 2007. Natural enemies. In Harvestmen: The Biology of Opiliones (R. Pinto-da-Rocha, G. Machado & G. Giribet, eds) pp. 339-373. Harvard University Press: Cambridge (Massachusetts).

[PR01] Pellegrino, K. C. M., M. T. Rodrigues, Y. Yonenaga-Yassuda & J. W. Sites Jr. 2001. A molecular perspective on the evolution of microteiid lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae), and a new classification for the family. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 74: 315-338.

[R88] Rieppel, O. 1988. The classification of the Squamata. In The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods, vol. 1. Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds (M. J. Benton, ed.) pp. 261-293. Clarendon Press: Oxford.