Anguidae

Slowworm Anguis fragilis, copyright Hans Hillewaert.

Belongs within: Anguimorpha.

The Anguidae, glass lizards and allies, are a group of lizards found in Eurasia, northern Africa and the Americas that are characterised by rectangular scales, osteoderms in the ventral skin, a reduced supratemporal arch and striations on the medial face of the tooth crowns (Animal Diversity Web).

<==Anguidae
    |--Diploglossus [Diploglosseae, Diploglossinae] H81
    |    |--D. bilobatus MH11
    |    |--D. occiduus (Shaw 1802) H81
    |    `--D. pleei MH11
    |--Glyptosaurinae SH96
    |    |--Helodermoides Douglass 1903 [Glyptosaurini] SH96
    |    |    `--H. tuberculatus Douglass 1903 [incl. Glyptosaurus giganteus Gilmore 1928, G. montanus Douglass 1908] SH96
    |    `--Melanosaurini SH96
    |         |--Melanosaurus LBG12
    |         `--Peltosaurus Cope 1873 SH96
    |              `--*P. granulosus Cope 1873 (see below for synonymy) SH96
    |--Ophisaurus Daudin 1803 [incl. Dopasia Gray 1853; Ophisaureae, Ophisaurinae] RB05
    |    |--O. attenuatus JP79
    |    |--O. canadensis SH96
    |    |--O. compressus DO99
    |    |--O. formosensis Kishida 1930 TYM08
    |    |--O. harti [=Dopasia harti] SH96
    |    |--O. roqueprunensis Augé 1992 SH96
    |    `--O. ventralis AM99
    `--Anguinae SH96
         |--Parophisaurus Sullivan 1987 SH96
         |    `--*P. pawneensis (Gilmore 1928) (see below for synonymy) SH96
         `--Anguis Linnaeus 1758 [Anguieae] L58
              |--A. bipes Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. cephallonica [incl. A. fragilis peloponnesiacus] N10
              |--A. cerastes Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. colchica [=A. fragilis colchica, A. fragilis colchicus] N10
              |--A. colubrina Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. eryx Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. fragilis Linnaeus 1758 BB03
              |--A. graeca N10
              |--A. jaculus Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. laticauda Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. lumbricalis Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. maculata Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. meleagris Linnaeus 1758 L58
              |--A. reticulata Linnaeus 1758 L58
              `--A. scytale Linnaeus 1758 L58

Anguidae incertae sedis:
  Odaxosaurus piger Gilmore 1928 B93 [=Pancelosaurus piger G88]
  Proxestops LBG12
  Parodaxosaurus LBG12
  Paraglyptosaurus LBG12
  Apodosauriscus LBG12
  Eodiploglossus LBG12
  Gaultia LBG12
  Gerrhonotus [Gerrhonoteae] LBG12
    |--G. liocephalus MH11
    `--G. multicarinatus GWN71
  Abronia DD61
    |--A. deppi DD61
    `--A. graminea MH11
  Barisia DD61
    |--B. gadovi DD61
    `--B. imbricata MH11
  Celestus LBG12
    |--C. enneagrammus MH11
    |--C. occiduus FS01
    `--C. sagrae F15
  Pseudopus Merrem 1820 RB05
    |--P. apodus (Pallas 1775) RB05 [=Ophisaurus apodus B89]
    |--P. laurillardi (Lartet 1851) [=Anguis laurillardi, Ophisaurus laurillardi] RB05
    |--P. moguntinus (Boettger 1875) RB05 (see below for synonymy)
    `--P. pannonicus (Kormos 1911) RB05 [=Ophisaurus pannonicus B89]
  Elgaria AS09
    |--E. coerulea MH11
    |--E. kingii MH11
    |--E. multicarinata MH11
    |--E. panamintina MH11
    `--E. paucicarinata MH11
  Ophisauriscus quadrupes SH96
  Placosaurus SH96

*Parophisaurus pawneensis (Gilmore 1928) [=Xestops pawneensis, Machaerosaurus pawneensis, Pancelosaurus pawneensis] SH96

*Peltosaurus granulosus Cope 1873 [incl. P. abbotti Gilmore 1928, P. abbottii (l. c.), P. floridanus Vanzolini 1952] SH96

Pseudopus moguntinus (Boettger 1875) RB05 [=Ophisaurus moguntinus B89; incl. Propseudopus fraasi Hilgendorf 1883 RB05]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[AS09] Alfaro, M. E., F. Santini, C. Brock, H. Alamillo, A. Dornburg, D. L. Rabosky, G. Carnevale & L. J. Harmon. 2009. Nine exceptional radiations plus high turnover explain species diversity in jawed vertebrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 106 (32): 13410–13414.

[AM99] Anderson, J. F., & L. A. Magnarelli. 1999. Enzootiology of Borrelia burgdorferi in the northeastern and northcentral United States. In: Needham, G. R., R. Mitchell, D. J. Horn & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 2. Symposia pp. 385–389. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[B89] Bailon, S. 1989. Les amphibiens et les reptiles du Pliocene superieur de Balaruc II (Herault, France). Palaeovertebrata 19 (1): 7–28.

[B93] Benton, M. J. 1993. Reptilia. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 681–715. Chapman & Hall: London.

[BB03] Blain, H.-A., & S. Bailon. 2003. Les amphibiens et les reptiles des couches du Pléistocène supérieur ancien du gisement d’Artenac (Charente, France). Quaternaire 14 (1): 85–95.

[DD61] Davis, W. B., & J. R. Dixon. 1961. Reptiles (exclusive of snakes) of the Chilpancingo Region, Mexico. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 74: 37–56.

[DO99] Durden, L. A., & J. H. Oliver Jr. 1999. Ecology of Ixodes scapularis and Lyme disease in coastal Georgia, USA. In: Needham, G. R., R. Mitchell, D. J. Horn & W. C. Welbourn (eds) Acarology IX vol. 2. Symposia pp. 379–383. Ohio Biological Survey: Columbus (Ohio).

[FS01] Flannery, T., & P. Schouten. 2001. A Gap in Nature: Discovering the World’s Extinct Animals. Text Publishing: Melbourne.

[F15] Fowler, H. W. 1915. Cold-blooded vertebrates from Florida, the West Indies, Costa Rica, and eastern Brazil. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 67 (2): 244–269.

[GWN71] Gorman, G. C., A. C. Wilson & M. Nakanishi. 1971. A biochemical approach towards the study of reptilian phylogeny: evolution of serum albumin and lactic dehydrogenase. Systematic Zoology 20 (2): 167–185.

[G88] Gray, J. 1988. Evolution of the freshwater ecosystem: the fossil record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 62: 1–214.

[H81] Honegger, R. E. 1981. List of amphibians and reptiles either known or thought to have become extinct since 1600. Biological Conservation 19: 141–158.

[JP79] Jackson, J. F., & J. A. Pounds. 1979. Comments on assessing the dedifferentiating effect of gene flow. Systematic Zoology 28 (1): 78–85.

[L58] Linnaeus, C. 1758. Systema Naturae per Regna Tria Naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii: Holmiae.

[LBG12] Longrich, N. R., B.-A. S. Bhullar & J. A. Gauthier. 2012. Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 109 (52): 21396–21401.

[MH11] Müller, J., C. A. Hipsley, J. J. Head, N. Kardjilov, A. Hilger, M. Wuttke & R. R. Reisz. 2011. Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins. Nature 473: 364–367.

[N10] Naish, D. 2010. Tetrapod Zoology: Book One. CFZ Press: Bideford (UK).

[RB05] Rage, J.-C., & S. Bailon. 2005. Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late early Miocene (MN 4) of Béon 1 (Montréal-du-Gers, southwestern France). Geodiversitas 27 (3): 413–441.

[SH96] Sullivan, R. M., & J. A. Holman. 1996. Squamata. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 354–372. Cambridge University Press.

[TYM08] Tennent, W. J., M. Yasuda & K. Morimoto. 2008. Lansania Journal of arachnology and zoology—a rare and obscure Japanese natural history journal. Archives of Natural History 35 (2): 252–280.

Colubridae

Collared reed snake Calamaria pavimentata, copyright Rushenb.

Belongs within: Caenophidia.
Contains: Thamnophis, Lampropeltis, Pseudorabdion, Natricinae, Xenodontinae, Colubrinae.

The Colubridae are a cosmopolitan group of snakes, including both non-venomous and rear-fanged venomous species, characterised by the presence of solid teeth on the maxilla, palatine, pterygoid and dentary, but never on the premaxilla.

Colubridae
    |--+--Natricinae VH02
    |  `--+--Pseudoxenodon karlschmidti VH02
    |     `--Xenodontinae VH02
    `--+--Grayia ornata VH02
       `--+--Colubrinae VH02
          `--Calamariinae VH02
               |--Oreocalamus hanitschi VH02
               `--Calamaria VH02
                    |--C. babia S60
                    |--C. favae de Filippi 1840 (n. d.) [=Atractus favae] S60
                    |--C. pavimentata VH02
                    |--C. pfefferi Stejneger 1901 I92
                    `--C. stahlknechti M89

Colubridae incertae sedis:
  Thamnophis VH02
  Dendrophidion dendrophis DS86
  Drymarchon corais DS86
  Drymobius rhombifer DS86
  Drymoluber dichrous DS86
  Leptophis DS86
    |--L. abaetulla DS86
    |    |--L. a. abaetulla DS86
    |    `--L. a. nigromarginatus DS86
    |--L. cupreus DS86
    `--L. mexicanus M86
  Pseustes DS86
    |--P. poecilonotus DS86
    |    |--P. p. poecilonotus DS86
    |    `--P. p. polylepis DS86
    |--P. sexcarinatus DS86
    `--P. sulphureus DS86
  Spilotes pullatus DS86
  Xenopholis scalaris DS86
  Psomophis C07
  Coronella austriaca Laurenti 1768 BB03 [=Coluber austriacus K08]
  Texasophis Holman 1977 RB05
    |--*T. fossilis Holman 1977 SH96
    |--T. bohemiacus RB05
    |--T. galbreathi Holman 1984 SH96
    `--T. meini Rage & Holman 1984 RB05
  Dromicus H81
    |--D. cursor (Lacépède 1789) [=Leimadophis cursor] H81
    `--D. ornatus Garman 1887 [=Leimadophis ornatus] H81
  Phalotris JK08
    |--P. cuyanus (Cei 1984) JK08
    |--P. lemniscatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854) JK08
    |--P. matogrossensis Lema, D’Agostini & Cappellari 2005 JK08
    |--P. mertensi (Hoge 1955) JK08
    |--P. nasutus (Gomes 1915) JK08
    |--P. sansebastiani Jansen & Köhler 2008 JK08
    `--P. tricolor (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854) [incl. P. punctatus (Lema 1979)] JK08
  Elapomorphus JK08
    |--E. mertensi Hoge 1955 H55
    `--E. tricolor H55
  Dendrophis R13
    |--D. calligaster R13
    |--D. caudolineata M89
    `--D. picta M89
  Trimorphodon biscutatus N10
  Pituophis GWN71
    |--P. catenifer OB11
    `--P. melanoleucus GWN71
  Apostolepis G11
  Lytorhynchus diadema [incl. L. kennedyi Schmidt 1939] A-O00
  Dendrelaphis Boulenger 1890 C18
    |--D. calligastra (Günther 1867) C18
    |--D. caudolineatus VH02
    |--D. modestus B28
    |--D. pictus VH02
    `--D. punctulatus (Gray 1826) C18
  Lampropeltis G88
  Aspidura trachyprocta CD88
  Afronatrix anoscopus B06
  Stegonotus Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854 C18
    |--S. cucullatus (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril 1854) C18
    `--S. parvus (Meyer 1874) C18
  Tropidonophis Jan 1863 C18
    `--T. mairii (Gray 1841) C18
         |--T. m. mairii C18
         `--T. m. brongersmai C18
  Pantherophis guttata C18
  Zamenis SBM01
    |--Z. andreana SBM01
    `--Z. dipsas B28
  Ninia sebae M86
  Pseudorabdion IL61

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A-O00] Al-Oran, R. M. 2000. Notable herpetological records from central and southern Jordan. Zoology in the Middle East 21: 31–36.

[B28] Betrem, J. G. 1928. Monographie der Indo-Australischen Scoliiden mit zoogeographischen Betrachtungen. H. Veenman & Zonen: Wageningen.

[BB03] Blain, H.-A., & S. Bailon. 2003. Les amphibiens et les reptiles des couches du Pléistocène supérieur ancien du gisement d'Artenac (Charente, France). Quaternaire 14 (1): 85–95.

[B06] Boruchowitz, D. E. 2006. Guide to Cichlids. T.F.H. Publications: Neptune City (New Jersey).

[C07] Cadle, J. E. 2007. The snake genus Sibynomorphus (Colubridae: Dipsadinae: Dipsadini) in Peru and Ecuador, with comments on the systematics of Dipsadini. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 158 (5): 183–284.

[C18] Cogger, H. G. 2018. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia updated 7^th ed. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

[CD88] Crusz, H., & D. M. A. K. Daundasekera. 1988. Parasites of the relict fauna of Ceylon. IX. Helminths from burrowing scincine lizards. Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparee 63: 439–447.

[DS86] Dixon, J. R., & P. Soini. 1986. The Reptiles of the Upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos Region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum: Milwaukee.

[GWN71] Gorman, G. C., A. C. Wilson & M. Nakanishi. 1971. A biochemical approach towards the study of reptilian phylogeny: evolution of serum albumin and lactic dehydrogenase. Systematic Zoology 20 (2): 167–185.

[G88] Gray, J. 1988. Evolution of the freshwater ecosystem: the fossil record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 62: 1–214.

[G11] Guadanucci, J. P. L. 2011. Cladistic analysis and biogeography of the genus Oligoxystre Vellard 1924 (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Theraphosidae). Journal of Arachnology 39 (2): 320–326.

[H55] Hoge, A. R. 1955. Eine neue Schlange der Gattung Elapomorphus aus Brasilien. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36 (5-6): 301–304.

[H81] Honegger, R. E. 1981. List of amphibians and reptiles either known or thought to have become extinct since 1600. Biological Conservation 19: 141–158.

[IL61] Inger, R. F., & A. E. Leviton. 1961. A new colubrid snake the genus Pseudorabdion from Sumatra. Fieldiana: Zoology 44 (5): 45–47.

[I92] Iwahashi, J. (ed.) 1992. Reddo Deeta Animaruzu: a pictorial of Japanese fauna facing extinction. JICC: Tokyo.

[JK08] Jansen, M., & G. Köhler. 2008. A new species of Phalotris from the eastern lowlands of Bolivia (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 88 (1): 103–110.

[K08] Korsós, Z. 2008. History of the herpetological collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 100: 37–93.

[M86] McCoy, C. J. 1986. Results of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History expeditions to Belize. I. Systematic status and geographic distribution of Sibon neilli (Reptilia, Serpentes). Annals of Carnegie Museum 55 (6): 117–123.

[M89] Modigliani, E. 1889. Materiali per la fauna erpetologica dell'isola Nias. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2^a, 7: 113–124.

[N10] Naish, D. 2010. Tetrapod Zoology: Book One. CFZ Press: Bideford (UK).

[OB11] Orenstein, R. I., & D. Brewer. 2011. Family Cardinalidae (cardinals). In: Hoyo, J. del, A. Elliott & D. A. Christie (eds) Handbook of the Birds of the World vol. 16. Tanagers to New World Blackbirds pp. 330–427. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona.

[RB05] Rage, J.-C., & S. Bailon. 2005. Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late early Miocene (MN 4) of Béon 1 (Montréal-du-Gers, southwestern France). Geodiversitas 27 (3): 413–441.

[R13] Roux, J. 1913. Les reptiles de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et des îles Loyalty. In: Sarasin, F., & J. Roux (eds) Nova Caledonia: Forschungen in Neu-Caledonian und auf den Loyalty-Inseln. A. Zoologie vol. 1 pt 2 pp. 79–160. C. W. Kreidels Verlag: Wiesbaden.

[S60] Savage, J. M. 1960. A revision of the Ecuadorian snakes of the colubrid genus Atractus. Miscellaneous Publications Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 112: 1–86.

[SBM01] Schätti, B., I. Baran & P. Maunoir. 2001. Taxonomie, Morphologie und Verbreitung der Masken-Schlanknatter Coluber (s. l.) collaris (Müller, 1878). Revue Suisse de Zoologie 108 (1): 11–30.

[SH96] Sullivan, R. M., & J. A. Holman. 1996. Squamata. In: Prothero, D. R., & R. J. Emry (eds) The Terrestrial Eocene–Oligocene Transition in North America pp. 354–372. Cambridge University Press.

[VH02] Vidal, N., & S. B. Hedges. 2002. Higher-level relationships of caenophidian snakes inferred from four nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Comptes Rendus Biologies 325: 987–995.

Natricinae

Barred grass snake Natrix natrix helvetica, copyright Benny Trapp.

Belongs within: Colubridae.

The Natricinae, watersnakes, are a group of snakes characterised by the presence of hypapophyses on all dorsal vertebrae, and minutely spinose hemipenes bearing one or more enlarged basal hooks. Members of the subfamily commonly hunt around water, feeding on small aquatic vertebrates.

<==Natricinae
    |  i. s.: Palaeonatrix Szyndlar 1982 RB05
    |           |--P. lehmani (Rage & Roček 1983) [=Dolniceophis lehmani] RB05
    |           `--P. silesiaca Syndlar 1982 RB05
    |         Neonatrix Holman 1973 RB05
    |           |--N. europaea Rage & Holman 1984 RB05
    |           |--N. natricoides Augé & Rage 2000 RB05
    |           `--N. nova RB05
    |         Mionatrix G88
    |--+--Natriciteres olivacea VH02
    |  `--+--Rhabdophis subminiatus VH02
    |     `--Xenochrophis VH02
    |          |--X. flavipunctatus VH02
    |          `--X. trianguligerus VH02
    `--+--Sinonatrix annularis VH02
       |--Nerodia VH02
       |    |--N. harteri JP79
       |    |--N. rhombifera VK00
       |    |--N. sipedon BK03 [=Natrix sipedon FM80]
       |    |    |--N. s. sipedon BK03
       |    |    `--N. insularum BK03
       |    `--N. taxispilota VH02
       `--Natrix Laurenti 1768 VH02, RB05
            |--N. chrysarga D56
            |--N. fasciatus F15
            |--N. longivertebrata Szyndlar 1984 RB05
            |--N. merkurensis Ivanov 2002 RB05
            |--N. mlynarskii Rage 1988 B93
            |--N. natrix (Linnaeus 1758) VK00 [=Coluber natrix K08, Tropidonotus natrix M01]
            |    |--N. n. natrix M55a
            |    |--N. n. cetti M55a
            |    `--N. n. helvetica M55a
            |--N. piscator D56
            |--N. sansaniensis (Lartet 1851) [=Coluber sansaniensis, Pilemophis sansaniensis, Pylmophis sansaniensis] RB05
            |--N. septemvittata R56
            |--N. stolata CS77
            `--N. tesselata M55b [=N. tessellata (l. c.) M55b, Tropidonotus tessellatus K08]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B93] Benton, M. J. 1993. Reptilia. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 681–715. Chapman & Hall: London.

[BK03] Bittner, T. D., & R. B. King. 2003. Gene flow and melanism in garter snakes revisited: a comparison of molecular markers and island vs. coalescent models. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 79: 389–399.

[CS77] Cramp, S., & K. E. L. Simmons (eds) 1977. Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palaearctic vol. 1. Ostrich to Ducks. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

[D56] Dawes, B. 1956. The Trematoda with special reference to British and other European forms. University Press: Cambridge.

[F15] Fowler, H. W. 1915. Cold-blooded vertebrates from Florida, the West Indies, Costa Rica, and eastern Brazil. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 67 (2): 244–269.

[FM80] Futuyma, D. J., & G. C. Mayer. 1980. Non-allopatric speciation in animals. Systematic Zoology 29 (3): 254–271.

[G88] Gray, J. 1988. Evolution of the freshwater ecosystem: the fossil record. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 62: 1–214.

[JP79] Jackson, J. F. & J. A. Pounds. 1979. Comments on assessing the dedifferentiating effect of gene flow. Systematic Zoology 28 (1): 78–85.

[K08] Korsós, Z. 2008. History of the herpetological collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 100: 37–93.

[M01] Méhely, L. 1901. Csúszómászók és kétéltűek [Reptilien und Amphibien]. In: Horváth, G. (ed.) Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazása [Dritte Asiatische Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] vol. 2. Zichy Jenő Gróf Harmadik Ázsiai Utazásának Állattani Eredményei [Zoologische Ergebnisse der Dritten Asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy] pp. 41–68. Victor Hornyánszky: Budapest, and Karl W. Hierseman: Leipzig.

[M55a] Mertens, R. 1955a. Die Amphibien und Reptilien der Insel Elba. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 287–296.

[M55b] Mertens, R. 1955b. Der Typus von Vipera lebetina schweizeri. Senckenbergiana Biologica 36: 297–299.

[RB05] Rage, J.-C., & S. Bailon. 2005. Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late early Miocene (MN 4) of Béon 1 (Montréal-du-Gers, southwestern France). Geodiversitas 27 (3): 413–441.

[R56] Reed, C. F. 1956. The herpetofauna of Harford County, Maryland. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 46 (2): 58–60.

[VH02] Vidal, N., & S. B. Hedges. 2002. Higher-level relationships of caenophidian snakes inferred from four nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Comptes Rendus Biologies 325: 987–995.

[VK00] Vidal, N., S. G. Kindl, A. Wong & S. B. Hedges. 2000. Phylogenetic relationships of xenodontine snakes inferred from 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 14: 389–402.

Last updated: 29 January 2022.

Lerista

Pilbara flame-tailed slider Lerista flammicauda, copyright Jordan Vos.

Belongs within: Scincidae.

Lerista, sliders, is an Australian genus of mostly burrowing skinks found in loose soil or sand under cover (Cogger 2018).

Characters (from Cogger 2018): Supranasals absent. Nasals enlarged, usually in contact medially. Prefrontals small and widely separated or absent. Parietal shields in contact behind interparietal. Lower eyelid with transparent disc, movable or fused above to form permanent spectacle. Ear opening small but always distinct. Single pair of enlarged pre-anals. Limbs varying from well developed and pentadactyle through various degrees of reduction in length and number of digits to a minute style or completely absent, always separated if present by at least several scale legs when adpressed.

<==Lerista Bell 1833 C18
    |--L. aericeps Storr 1986 C18
    |--L. allanae (Longman 1937) C18
    |--L. allochira Kendrick 1989 C18
    |--L. ameles Greer 1979 C18
    |--L. amicorum Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. apoda Storr 1976 C18
    |--L. arenicola Storr 1972 C18
    |--L. axillaris Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. baynesi Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. bipes (Fischer 1882) C18
    |--L. borealis Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. bougainvillii (Gray 1839) C18
    |--L. bunglebungle Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. carpentariae Greer 1983 C18
    |--L. chordae Amey, Kutt & Hutchinson 2005 C18
    |--L. christinae Storr 1979 C18
    |--L. cinerea Greer, McDonald & Lawrie 1983 C18
    |--L. clara Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. colliveri Couper & Ingram 1992 C18
    |--L. connivens Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. desertorum (Sternfeld 1919) C18
    |--L. distinguenda (Werner 1910) C18
    |--L. dorsalis Storr 1985 C18
    |--L. edwardsae Storr 1982 C18
    |--L. elegans (Gray 1845) ADD0
    |--L. elongata Storr 1990 C18
    |--L. emmotti Ingram, Couper & Donnellan 1993 C18
    |--L. eupoda Smith 1996 C18
    |--L. flammicauda Storr 1985 C18
    |--L. fragilis (Günther 1876) C18
    |--L. frosti (Zietz 1895) C18
    |--L. gascoynensis Storr 1986 C18
    |--L. gerrardii (Gray 1864) C18
    |--L. greeri Storr 1982 C18
    |--L. griffini Storr 1982 C18
    |--L. haroldi Storr 1983 C18
    |--L. hobsoni Amey, Couper & Worthington Wilmer in Couper, Amey & Worthington Wilmer 2016 C18
    |--L. humphriesi Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. ingrami Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. ips Storr 1980 C18
    |--L. jacksoni Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. kalumburu Storr 1976 C18
    |--L. karlschmidti (Marx & Hosmer 1959) C18
    |--L. kendricki Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. kennedyensis Kendrick 1989 C18
    |--L. kingi Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. labialis Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. lineata Bell 1833 C18
    |--L. lineopunctulata (Duméril & Bibron 1839) ADD08
    |--L. macropisthopus (Werner 1903) C18
    |    |--L. m. macropisthopus ADD08
    |    |--L. m. fusciceps Storr 1991 ADD08
    |    |--L. m. galea C18
    |    `--L. m. remota C18
    |--L. maculosa Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. micra Smith & Adams 2007 ADD08
    |--L. microtis (Gray 1845) C18
    |    |--L. m. microtis C18
    |    `--L. m. schwaneri C18
    |--L. muelleri (Fischer 1881) C18
    |--L. neander Storr 1971 C18
    |--L. nevinae Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. nichollsi (Loveridge 1933) C18
    |--L. occulta Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. onsloviana Storr 1984 C18
    |--L. orientalis (De Vis 1889) C18
    |--L. petersoni Storr 1976 C18
    |--L. picturata (Fry 1914) C18
    |--L. planiventralis (Lucas & Frost 1902) C18
    |    |--L. p. planiventralis ADD08
    |    |--L. p. decora (Storr 1978) ADD08
    |    `--L. p. maryani ADD08
    |--L. praefrontalis Greer 1986 C18
    |--L. praepedita (Boulenger 1887) ADD08
    |--L. punctatovittata (Günther 1867) C18
    |--L. puncticauda Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. quadrivincula Shea 1991 C18
    |--L. robusta Storr 1990 C18
    |--L. rochfordensis Amey & Couper 2009 C18
    |--L. rolfei Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. separanda Storr 1976 C18
    |--L. simillima Storr 1984 C18
    |--L. speciosa Storr 1990 C18
    |--L. stictopleura Storr 1985 C18
    |--L. storri Greer, McDonald & Lawrie 1983 C18
    |--L. stylis (Mitchell 1955) C18
    |--L. taeniata Storr 1986 C18
    |--L. talpina Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. terdigitata (Parker 1926) C18
    |--L. timida (De Vis 1888) C18
    |--L. tridactyla Storr 1990 C18
    |--L. uniduo Storr 1984 C18
    |--L. vanderduysi Amey, Couper & Worthington Wilmer in Couper, Amey & Worthington Wilmer 2016 C18
    |--L. varia Storr 1986 ADD08
    |--L. verhmens Smith & Adams 2007 C18
    |--L. vermicularis Storr 1982 C18
    |--L. viduata Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. vittata Greer, McDonald & Lawrie 1983 C18
    |--L. walkeri (Boulenger 1891) C18
    |--L. wilkinsi (Parker 1926) C18
    |--L. xanthura Storr 1986 C18
    |--L. yuna Storr 1991 C18
    |--L. zietzi Wells & Wellington 1985 C18
    `--L. zonulata Storr 1991 C18

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[ADD08] Aplin, K., S. Donnellan & J. Dell. 2008. The herpetofauna of Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 75: 39–53.

[C18] Cogger, H. G. 2018. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia updated 7^th ed. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood.

Ecpleopini

Leposoma nanodactylus, from the Reptile Database.

Belongs within: Gymnophthalmidae.

The Ecpleopini are a clade of microteiid lizards supported by molecular data (Pellegrino et al. 2001).

<==Ecpleopini
    |--Arthrosaura Boulenger 1885 PR01
    |    |--A. kochii PR01
    |    `--A. reticulata PR01
    `--+--Ecpleopus Duméril & Bibron 1839 PR01
       |    `--*E. gaudichaudii PR01
       `--+--+--Colobosauroides Cunha & Lima Verde 1991 PR01
          |  |    `--C. cearensis PR01
          |  `--Anotosaura Amaral 1933 PR01
          |       |--A. collaris PR01
          |       `--A. vanzolinia PR01
          `--+--Amapasaurus Cunha 1970 PR01
             `--Leposoma Spix 1825 PR01
                  |--L. nanodactylus PR01
                  |--L. oswaldoi PR01
                  |--L. parietale DS86
                  `--L. percarinatum PR01

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[DS86] Dixon, J. R,. & P. Soini. 1986. The Reptiles of the Upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos Region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum: Milwaukee.

[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.

Plesiosauroidea

Reconstructed skeleton of Plesiosaurus, copyright Kumiko.

Belongs within: Eusauropterygia.

The Plesiosauroidea are a clade of mostly long-necked (sometimes extraordinarily so) marine reptiles known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

<==Plesiosauroidea
    |--Plesiosaurus de la Beche & Conybeare 1821 H02, D07 [Plesiosauridae]
    |    |--P. brachypterygius Huene 1923 H02
    |    |--P. dolichodeirus Conybeare 1824 DV06
    |    |--P. eurymerus D07
    |    |--P. guilelmiimperatoris D07
    |    |--P. macrocephalus D07
    |    |--P. megdeirus D07
    |    `--P. winspitensis D07
    `--Euplesiosauria [Tricleidida] H02
         |  i. s.: Muraenosaurus Seeley 1874 H02, DV06
         |           |--M. beloclis D07
         |           |--M. elasmosauroides D07
         |           |--M. leedsii D07
         |           `--M. purbecki D07
         |         Alzadasaurus H02
         |         Thalassomedon H02
         |--Elasmosauridae H02
         |    |  i. s.: ‘Plesiosaurus australis Owen 1861 (n. d.) CF02
         |    |         ‘Plesiosaurus’ crassicostatus Owen 1870 (n. d.) CF02
         |    |         ‘Plesiosaurus’ holmesi Hector 1874 (n. d.) CF02
         |    |         ‘Plesiosaurus’ hoodi Owen 1870 (n. d.) CF02
         |    |         ‘Plesiosaurus’ mackayi Hector 1874 (n. d.) CF02
         |    |--Mauisaurus haasti Hector 1874 (see below for synonymy) CF02
         |    |--Tuarangisaurus keyesi Wiffen & Moisley 1986 CF02
         |    |--Occitanosaurus Bardet et al. 1999 H02
         |    |    `--*O. tournemirensis (Sciau, Crochet & Mattei 1990) [=Plesiosaurus tournemirensis] H02
         |    |--Hydrotherosaurus Welles 1943 H02, D07
         |    |    `--H. alexandrae D07
         |    `--Elasmosaurus Cope 1868 D07
         |         |--E. morgani D07
         |         |--E. platyurus D07
         |         |--E. serpentines D07
         |         `--E. snowii D07
         |--Microcleidus H02
         `--+--Cryptoclididae [Cryptocleidoidea] H02
            |    |--Kaiwhekea Cruickshank & Fordyce 2002 CF02
            |    |    `--*K. katiki Cruickshank & Fordyce 2002 CF02
            |    |--Mortuneria Chatterjee & Creisler 1994 CF02
            |    |    `--M. seymourensis CF02
            |    |--Aristonectes Cabrera 1941 CF02
            |    |    `--A. parvidens CF02
            |    |--Colymbosaurus Seeley 1874 [incl. Kimmerosaurus Brown 1981] CF02
            |    |    `--C. trochanterius CF02
            |    |--Cryptoclidus Seeley 1892 CF02
            |    |    |--C. eurymerus CF02
            |    |    |--C. oxoniensis N85
            |    |    `--C. richardsoni D07
            |    `--Tricleidus Andrews 1909 CF02
            |--Cimoliosaurus F71 [Cimoliasauridae H02]
            |    |--C. australis F71
            |    |--C. maccoyi Etheridge 1904 F71
            |    `--C. sutherlandi F71
            `--Polycotylidae H02
                 |--Polycotylus tenuis Hector 1874 (n. d.) CF02
                 |--Dolichorhynchus H02
                 |--Trinacromerum Cragin 1888 DV06
                 |--Plesiopleurodon wellesi H02
                 `--Edgarosaurus Druckenmiller 2002 H02
                      `--E. muddi Druckenmiller 2002 H02

Mauisaurus haasti Hector 1874 [incl. M. brachiolatus Hector 1874, Cimoliosaurus caudalis Hutton 1894] CF02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CF02] Cruickshank, A. R. I., & R. E. Fordyce. 2002. A new marine reptile (Sauropterygia) from New Zealand: further evidence for a Late Cretaceous austral radiation of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs. Palaeontology 45 (3): 557–575.

[DV06] Dalla Vecchia, F. M. 2006. A new sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian affinity from the Late Triassic of Italy. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 112 (2): 207–225.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1–167.

[H02] Haubold, H. 2002. Literaturbericht: Ichthyosaurier und Sauropterygier. Zbl. Geol. Paläont. Teil II 5-6: 367–403.

[N85] Norman, D. 1985 (reprinted 2000). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Salamander Books: London.

Varanidae

Desert monitor Varanus griseus caspius, copyright Denis Nuridjanov.

Belongs within: Anguimorpha.

The Varanidae, monitor lizards, are a group of lizards found in warmer parts of the Old World, characterised by a long, slender neck together with a long, strong tail, pentadactyl limbs with a strong claw on each digit, a covering of small, juxtaposed scales, and a long, deeply bifid tongue.

<==Varanidae
    |--Iberovaranus Hoffstetter 1969 RB05
    `--Varanus Merrem 1820 RB05 [incl. Megalania Owen 1859 D07]
         |  i. s.: V. baritji DK14
         |         V. bengalensis USDI77
         |         V. bushi DK14
         |         V. caudolineatus ADD08
         |         V. exanthematicus K08
         |         V. flavescens USDI77
         |         V. giganteus TW05
         |         V. gilleni DK14
         |         V. glauerti PP13
         |         V. glebopalma PP13
         |         V. gouldii (Gray 1838) ADD08
         |         V. hamersleyensis DK14
         |         V. hofmanni Roger 1898 RB05
         |         V. indicus WH02
         |         V. komodoensis DK14
         |         V. mertensi PP13
         |         V. mitchelli PP13
         |         V. niloticus D56
         |         ‘Tupinambis’ ornatus Daudin 1803 M54
         |         V. ‘ornatus’ Gray 1845 non Daudin 1803 M54
         |         V. panoptes HD04
         |         V. pilbarensis HD04
         |         V. prasinus DV87
         |         V. priscus [=Megalania prisca; incl. Notiosaurus dentatus] F71
         |         V. pronini Zerova & Ckhikvadze 1986 RB05
         |         V. punctatus [=V. p. var. typica; incl. V. p. var. orientalis Fry 1913] F13
         |         V. rosenbergi DK14
         |         V. rudicollis GWN71
         |         V. rusingensis Clos 1995 RB05
         |         V. salvator MH11
         |         V. scalaris PP13
         |         V. semiremex DK14
         |         V. tristis ADD08
         |         V. tsukamotoi Kishida 1929 TYM08
         |--*V. (Varanus) varius (White 1790) [=Lacerta varia] DK14
         |--V. (Odatria Gray 1838) DK14
         |    |--V. (O.) acanthurus Boulenger 1885 DK14
         |    |    |--V. a. acanthurus DK14
         |    |    `--V. a. insulanicus DK14
         |    |--V. (O.) brevicauda Boulenger 1898 DK14
         |    |--V. (O.) eremius Lucas & Frost 1895 DK14
         |    `--V. (O.) sparnus Doughty, Kealley et al. 2014 DK14
         `--V. (Psammosaurus) griseus (Daudin 1803) [=Tupinambis griseus] M54
              |--V. g. griseus (see below for synonymy) M54
              |--V. g. caspius (Eichwald 1931) [=Psammosaurus caspius; incl. V. caspicus Gray 1845] M54
              `--V. g. koniecznyi Mertens 1954 (see below for synonymy) M54

Inorganic: Varanus salvator protominilorientalus Okamura 1987 O87

Varanus griseus griseus (Daudin 1803) [incl. Psammosaurus arabicus Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1899, V. arenaceus Gervais 1848, Tupinambis arenarius Geoffroy 1827, V. scincus Merrem 1820, V. terrestris Schinz 1834] M54

Varanus griseus koniecznyi Mertens 1954 [=V. ornatus Carlleyle 1869 nec Tupinambis ornatus Daudin 1803 nec V. ornatus Gray 1845] M54

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[ADD08] Aplin, K., S. Donnellan & J. Dell. 2008. The herpetofauna of Faure Island, Shark Bay, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 75: 39–53.

[D56] Dawes, B. 1956. The Trematoda with special reference to British and other European forms. University Press: Cambridge.

[DV87] De Vis, C. W. 1887. On new or rare vertebrates from the Herbert River, north Queensland. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (4): 1129–1137.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[DK14] Doughty, P., L. Kealley, A. Fitch & S. C. Donnellan. 2014. A new diminutive species of Varanus from the Dampier Peninsula, western Kimberley region, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 29 (2): 128–140.

[F71] Fletcher, H. O. 1971. Catalogue of type specimens of fossils in the Australian Museum, Sydney. Australian Museum Memoir 13: 1–167.

[F13] Fry, D. B. 1913. On a Varanus and a frog from Burnett River, Queensland, and a revision of the variations in Limnodynastes dorsalis, Gray. Records of the Australian Museum 10 (2): 17–34, pls 1–3.

[GWN71] Gorman, G. C., A. C. Wilson & M. Nakanishi. 1971. A biochemical approach towards the study of reptilian phylogeny: evolution of serum albumin and lactic dehydrogenase. Systematic Zoology 20 (2): 167–185.

[HD04] How, R. A., & J. Dell. 2004. Reptile assemblage of the Abydos Plain, north-eastern Pilbara, Western Australia. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 87 (3): 85–95.

[K08] Korsós, Z. 2008. History of the Herpetological Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 100: 37–93.

[M54] Mertens, R. 1954. Über die Rassen des Wüstenwarans (Varanus griseus). Senckenbergiana Biologica 35 (5-6): 353–357.

[MH11] Müller, J., C. A. Hipsley, J. J. Head, N. Kardjilov, A. Hilger, M. Wuttke & R. R. Reisz. 2011. Eocene lizard from Germany reveals amphisbaenian origins. Nature 473: 364–367.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

[PP13] Palmer, R., D. J. Pearson, M. A. Cowan & P. Doughty. 2013. Islands and scales: a biogeographic survey of reptiles on Kimberley islands, Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 183–204.

[RB05] Rage, J.-C., & S. Bailon. 2005. Amphibians and squamate reptiles from the late early Miocene (MN 4) of Béon 1 (Montréal-du-Gers, southwestern France). Geodiversitas 27 (3): 413–441.

[TYM08] Tennent, W. J., M. Yasuda & K. Morimoto. 2008. Lansania Journal of arachnology and zoology—a rare and obscure Japanese natural history journal. Archives of Natural History 35 (2): 252–280.

[TW05] Thompson, S. A., P. C. Withers, G. G. Thompson & D. Robinson. 2005. Range extension for the perentie, Varanus giganteus (Squamata, Varanidae). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia 88 (1): 41–43.

[USDI77] USDI (United States Department of the Interior). 1977. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants—republication of list of species. Federal Register 42: 36420–36431.

[WH02] Worthy, T. H., & R. N. Holdaway. 2002. The Lost World of the Moa: Prehistoric life of New Zealand. Indiana University Press: Bloomington (Indiana).

Eusauropterygia

Skeletal reconstruction of Nothosaurus, copyright Elke Wetzig.

Belongs within: Sauropterygia.
Contains: Plesiosauroidea, Pliosauroidea.

The Eusauropterygia are a clade of Mesozoic marine reptiles uniting the Plesiosauria with the Triassic nothosaurs.

Synapomorphies (from The Plesiosaur Directory): Jaws and mandibular symphysis elongate (skull large); rostral dentition strongly procumbent with paired maxillary fangs; five premaxillary teeth present; orbit small relative to skull length; skull dorsoventrally depressed; upper temporal fenestrae relatively large; complex dual jaw adductor system present; scapular proportionately small; five or six sacral vertebrae present.

<==Eusauropterygia H02
    |--Nothosauroidea H02
    |    |--Simosaurus [Simosauria] H02
    |    |    `--S. gillardoti v. Meyer 1842 DV06
    |    `--Nothosauria H02
    |         |  i. s.: Corosaurus Case 1936 D07
    |         |           `--C. alcovensis Case 1936 DV06
    |         |--Germanosaurus [Germanosauridae] H02
    |         |    |--G. latissimus H02
    |         |    `--G. schafferi H02
    |         `--Nothosauridae D07
    |              |--Ceresiosaurus Peyer 1931 D07
    |              |    |--C. calcagnii (Peyer 1931) D07, H02 [=Lariosaurus calcagnii H02]
    |              |    `--C. russelli D07
    |              |--Lariosaurus Curioni 1847 D07 [incl. Silvestrosaurus H02]
    |              |    |--L. balsami Curioni 1847 H02
    |              |    |--L. buzzii Tschanz 1989 H02
    |              |    |--L. curionii Rieppel 1998 H02
    |              |    |--L. stensioei H02
    |              |    |--L. valceresii Tintori & Renesto 1990 H02
    |              |    `--L. xingyiensis Li, Liu & Rieppel 2002 H02
    |              `--Nothosaurus Münster 1834 D07
    |                   |--N. edingerae Schultze 1970 DV06
    |                   |--N. giganteus Münster 1834 [incl. Paranothosaurus amsleri Peyer 1939] DV06
    |                   |--N. haasi Rieppel, Mazin & Tchernov 1997 DV06
    |                   |--N. jagisteus Rieppel 2001 H02
    |                   |--N. juvenilis H02
    |                   |--N. marchius H02
    |                   |--N. mirabilis D07
    |                   |--N. procerus D07
    |                   `--N. tchernovi Haas 1980 DV06
    `--Pistosauria H02
         |  i. s.: Bobosaurus Dalla Vecchia 2006 DV06
         |           `--*B. forojuliensis Dalla Vecchia 2006 DV06
         |--Cymatosauridae H02
         |    |--Tanaisosaurus Sennikov 2001 H02
         |    |    `--T. kalandadzei Sennikov 2001 H02
         |    `--Cymatosaurus H02
         |         |--C. fridericianus Fritsch 1894 H02
         |         |--C. latifrons (Gürich 1884) [inc. C. gracilis Schrammen 1899, C. silesiacus] H02
         |         `--C. minor H02
         `--+--Pistosauridae H02
            |    |--Augustasaurus hagdorni Sander, Rieppel & Bucher 1997 DV06
            |    `--Pistosaurus Mayer 1839 D07
            |         `--P. longaevus Meyer 1839 DV06
            `--Plesiosauria H02
                 |  i. s.: Bishanopliosaurus youngi CWJ04
                 |         Terminonatator Sato 2003 D07
                 |           `--T. ponteixensis D07
                 |         Libonectes morgani (Welles 1949) DV06
                 |--Plesiosauroidea CF02
                 `--Pliosauroidea D07

Inorganic: Ceresiosaurus calcagnii minilorientalus Okamura 1987 O87

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CWJ04] Cheng, Y.-N., X.-C. Wu & Q. Ji. 2004. Triassic marine reptiles gave birth to live young. Nature 432: 383–386.

[CF02] Cruickshank, A. R. I., & R. E. Fordyce. 2002. A new marine reptile (Sauropterygia) from New Zealand: Further evidence for a Late Cretaceous austral radiation of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs. Palaeontology 45 (3): 557–575.

[DV06] Dalla Vecchia, F. M. 2006. A new sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian affinity from the Late Triassic of Italy. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 112 (2): 207–225.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[H02] Haubold, H. 2002. Literaturbericht: Ichthyosaurier und Sauropterygier. Zbl. Geol. Paläont. Teil II 5-6: 367–403.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

Sauropterygia

Cyamodus, copyright Ghedoghedo.

Belongs within: Lepidosauromorpha.
Contains: Eusauropterygia.

The Sauropterygia are a Mesozoic clade of marine reptiles including the plesiosaurs, placodonts and related taxa.

Synapomorphies (from Schoch & Sues 2015): Premaxilla large, forming most of the snout; lacrimal restricted to orbit or absent; palate akinetic; angle of transverse flange of pterygoid less than 45° from sagittal plane; cervical ribs with anterior process; three or more sacrals present; femur with deep groove on the posterior face of the distal end; coracoid foramen between coracoid and scapula; metatarsal V short with broad base; length of metatarsal I less than 50% that of metatarsal IV.

<==Sauropterygia
    |--Eosauropterygia H02
    |    |--Eusauropterygia H02
    |    `--Pachypleurosauridae [Pachypleurosauria] H02
    |         |--Keichousaurus hui Young 1958 H02, CWJ04
    |         `--+--Hanosaurus H02
    |            `--+--+--Dactylosaurus Gurich 1884 H02, D07
    |               |  |    `--D. gracilis [incl. D. schroederi] CWJ04
    |               |  `--Anarosaurus H02
    |               |       |--A. heterodontus H02
    |               |       `--A. pumilo H02
    |               `--+--Serpianosaurus mirigiolensis H02
    |                  `--Neusticosaurus H02 [incl. Pachypleurosaurus Cornalia 1854 D07]
    |                       |--N. edwardsi [=Pachypleurosaurus edwardsi] CWJ04
    |                       |--N. peyeri H02
    |                       `--N. pusillus H02
    `--+--Sinosaurosphargis SS15
       `--Placodontia [Placodontoidea] H02
            |--Paraplacodus Peyer 1931 H02, D07 [Paraplacodontidae]
            |    `--P. broilii H02
            `--+--Placodus Agassiz 1833 H02, D07
               |    `--P. gigas H02
               `--Cyamodontoidea H02
                    |  i. s.: Sinocyamodus xinpuensis Li 2000 H02
                    |         Psephochelys Li & Rieppel 2002 H02
                    |           `--P. polyosteoderma Li & Rieppel 2002 H02
                    |         Psephosauriscus Rieppel 2002 H02
                    |           |--P. mosis (Brotzen 1957) H02
                    |           |--P. ramonensis Rieppel 2002 H02
                    |           |--P. rhombifer [=Psephosaurus rhombifer] H02
                    |           `--P. sinaiticus H02
                    |--Cyamodontida H02
                    |    |--Psephosaurus suevicus H02
                    |    |--Henodus Huene 1936 H02, D07
                    |    |    `--H. chelyops H02
                    |    `--Cyamodus Meyer 1863 [Cyamodontidae] D07
                    |         |--C. hildegardis H02
                    |         |--C. kuhnschnyderi H02
                    |         |--C. muensteri H02
                    |         |--C. rostratus H02
                    |         `--C. tarnowitzensis H02
                    `--Placochelyida H02
                         |--Macroplacus [Macroplacidae] H02
                         |    `--M. raeticus H02
                         `--+--Protenodontosaurus [Protenodontosauridae] H02
                            |    `--P. italicus Pinna 1990 DV06
                            `--+--Placochelys [Placochelyidae] H02
                               |    `--P. placodonta H02
                               `--Psephoderma H02
                                    |--P. alpinum H02
                                    `--P. sculptata Rieppel 2002 H02

Inorganic: Placochelys placoconta minilorientalis Okamura 1987 O87

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CWJ04] Cheng, Y.-N., X.-C. Wu & Q. Ji. 2004. Triassic marine reptiles gave birth to live young. Nature 432: 383–386.

[DV06] Dalla Vecchia, F. M. 2006. A new sauropterygian reptile with plesiosaurian affinity from the Late Triassic of Italy. Rivista Italiana di Paleontologia e Stratigrafia 112 (2): 207–225.

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[H02] Haubold, H. 2002. Literaturbericht: Ichthyosaurier und Sauropterygier. Zbl. Geol. Paläont. Teil II 5-6: 367–403.

[O87] Okamura, C. 1987. New facts: Homo and all Vertebrata were born simultaneously in the former Paleozoic in Japan. Original Report of the Okamura Fossil Laboratory 15: 347–573.

[SS15] Schoch, R. R., & H.-D. Sues. 2015. A Middle Triassic stem-turtle and the evolution of the turtle body plan. Nature 523: 584–587.

Lepidosauromorpha

Reconstruction of Icarosaurus siefkeri, copyright Nobu Tamura.

Belongs within: Neodiapsida.
Contains: Sauropterygia, Testudinata, Lepidosauria.

The Lepidosauromorpha are a clade of reptiles including all taxa more closely related to squamates than crocodiles or birds.

Synapomorphies (from Schoch & Sues 2015): Prefrontal-palatine contact broad, approaching mid-line; lower temporal fossa open ventrally; thyroid fenestra present; perforating artery in pes located between distal ends of tibia and fibula.

<==Lepidosauromorpha
    |  i. s.: Coartaredens Spencer & Storrs 2002 SS02
    |           `--*C. isaaci Spencer & Storrs 2002 SS02
    |         Anisodontosaurus greeri SS02
    |         Priscochelys hegnabrunnensis LW08
    |--+--Sauropterygia LW08
    |  `--Pan-Testudines SS15
    |       |--Eunotosaurus Seely 1892 SS15, D07 [Eunotosauridae]
    |       |    `--E. africanus D07
    |       `--+--Pappochelys Schoch & Sues 2015 SS15
    |          |    `--*P. rosinae Schoch & Sues 2015 SS15
    |          `--Testudinata SS15
    `--+--Palaeagama QG90
       `--+--Paliguana whitei QG90, NB17
          |--Saurosternon QG90
          `--+--+--Marmoretta LG07
             |  `--Lepidosauria LG07
             `--Kuehneosauridae LG07
                  |--Kuehneosuchus E88
                  |--Kuehneosaurus Robinson 1967 D07
                  |    `--K. latus D07
                  `--Icarosaurus Colbert 1961 LG07, D07
                       `--I. siefkeri W91

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[D07] Dixon, D. 2007. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Hermes House: London.

[E88] Evans, S. E. 1988. The early history and relationships of the Diapsida. In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods vol. 1. Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds pp. 221–260. Clarendon Press: Oxford.

[LW08] Li, C., X.-C. Wu, O. Rieppel, L.-T. Wang & L.-J. Zhao. 2008. An ancestral turtle from the Late Triassic of southwestern China. Nature 456: 497–501.

[LG07] Li, P.-P., K.-Q. Gao, L.-H. Hou & X. Xu. 2007. A gliding lizard from the Early Cretaceous of China. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 104 (13): 5507–5509.

[NB17] Nesbitt, S. J., R. J. Butler, M. D. Ezcurra, P. M. Barrett, M. R. Stocker, K. D. Angielczyk, R. M. H. Smith, C. A. Sidor, G. Niedźwiedzki, A. G. Sennikov & A. J. Charig. 2017. The earliest bird-line archosaurs and the assembly of the dinosaur body plan. Nature 544: 484–487.

[QG90] Queiroz, K. de, & J. Gauthier. 1990. Phylogeny as a central principle in taxonomy: phylogenetic definitions of taxon names. Systematic Zoology 39 (4): 307–322.

[SS15] Schoch, R. R., & H.-D. Sues. 2015. A Middle Triassic stem-turtle and the evolution of the turtle body plan. Nature 523: 584–587.

[SS02] Spencer, P. S., & G. W. Storrs. 2002. A re-evaluation of small tetrapods from the Middle Triassic Otter Sandstone Formation of Devon, England. Palaeontology 45 (3): 447–467.

[W91] Wellnhofer, P. 1991. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs.  Salamander Books: London (reprinted 2000, in: Norman, D., & P. Wellnhofer. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs. Salamander Books).