Lynx
Taxonomy of Class Reptilia
(to family level)
Prepared by Donald L. Blanchard
*LYNX*
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*LINKS*
A slight variant on this article was originally published in /The Cold
Blooded News/, the newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society
, Vol 26, #2, February, 1999.
| Turtles <#one> | Tuatara <#tuatara> | Lizards <#lizards> | Snakes
<#snakes> |
| Amphisbaenians <#amphis> | Crocodilians <#crocs> |
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This listing is provided as a supplement to the article "The ABC's of
Animal Taxonomy ." It is intended as an illustration of
the modern use of traditional, or Linnaean, taxonomy, and is NOT
guaranteed to be totally accurate. (In point of fact, NO taxonomy can
ever be guaranteed to be totally accurate. Taxonomy involves many
judgement calls, and it is highly unlikely that any two authorities on a
particular subject will ever agree on all the details of any taxonomic
scheme.) The scheme presented was prepared by Peter Uetz, originally
with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany,
and now with the University of Washington. Some modifications were made
by dlb.
I do not intend to present an equivalent cladistic taxonomy of Class
Reptilia, for two reasons. First, I don't know where one can be
obtained, or even if the information necessary to create one has yet
been acquired for the whole class; and, second, this newsletter isn't
big enough to hold one if it does exist!
-- dlb
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*Subclass* /Anapsida/ (Note 1 <#Note1>)
*Order* /Testudines/ (turtles)
*Suborder* /Cryptodira/
*Superfamily* /Testudinoidea/
*Family* /Chelydridae/ (Snapping Turtles)
*Family* /Emydidae/ (Pond Turtles/Box and Water Turtles)
*Family* /Testudinidae/ (Tortoises)
*Superfamily* /Trionychoidea/
*Family* /Dermatemydidae/ (River Turtles)
*Family* /Kinosternidae/ (Mud and Musk Turtles)
*Family* /Carettochelyidae/ (Pig-nose Turtles)
*Family* /Trionychidae/ (Softshell Turtles)
*Superfamily* /Chelonioidea/
*Family* /Cheloniidae/ (Sea Turtles)
*Family* /Dermochelyidae/ (Leatherback Turtles)
*Suborder* /Pleurodira/
*Family* /Pelomedusidae/ (Afro-American Sideneck Turtles)
*Family* /Chelidae/ (Austro-American Sideneck Turtles)
*Subclass* /Lepidosauria/
*Order* /Rhynchocephalia/
*Suborder* /Sphenodontida/
*Family* /Sphenodontidae/ (Tuataras)
*Order* /Squamata/ ("scaled reptiles")
*Suborder* /Sauria/ (lizards)
*Infraorder* /Iguania/
*Family* /Agamidae/ (Agamas)
*Family* /Chamaeleonidae/ (Chameleons)
*Family* /Iguanidae/ (Iguanas and Spinytail Iguanas)
*Family* /Corytophanidae/ (Casquehead Lizards)
*Family* /Crotaphytidae/ (Collared and Leopard Lizards)
*Family* /Hoplocercidae/
*Family* /Opluridae/ (Madagascar iguanids)
*Family* /Phrynosomatidae/ (Earless, Spiny, Tree,
Side-blotched and Horned Lizards)
*Family* /Polychrotidae/ (Anoles)
*Family* /Tropiduridae/ (Neotropical Ground Lizards)
*Infraorder* /Gekkota/
*Family* /Gekkonidae/ (Geckoes)
*Family* /Eublepharidae/ (Eyelid Geckoes)
*Family* /Pygopodidae/ (Legless Lizards)
*Family* /Dibamidae/ (Blind Lizards)
*Infraorder* /Scincomorpha/
*Family* /Cordylidae/ (Spinytail Lizards)
*Family* /Gerrhosauridae/
*Family* /Gymnophthalmidae/ (Spectacled Lizards)
*Family* /Teiidae/ (Whiptails and Tegus)
*Family* /Lacertidae/ (Wall Lizards)
*Family* /Scincidae/ (Skinks)
*Family* /Xantusiidae/ (Night Lizards)
*Infraorder* /Diploglossa/
*Family* /Anguidae/ (Glass Lizards and Alligator Lizards;
Lateral Fold Lizards)
*Family* /Anniellidae/ (American Legless lizards)
*Family* /Xenosauridae/ (Knob-scaled Lizards)
*Infraorder* /Platynota/ (/Varanoidea/)
*Family* /Helodermatidae/ (Gila Monsters)
*Family* /Lanthanotidae/ (Earless Monitor lizards)
*Family* /Varanidae/ (Monitor Lizards)
*Suborder* /Serpentes/ (snakes)
*Superfamily* /Typhlopoidea/ (/Scolecophidia/)
*Family* /Anomalepidae/ (Dawn Blind Snakes)
*Family* /Typhlopidae/ (Blind Snakes)
*Family* /Leptotyphlopidae/Glauconiidae/ (Slender Blind Snakes)
*Superfamily* /Henophidia/ (/Boidea/)
*Family* /Aniliidae/Ilysiidae/ (Pipe Snakes)
*Family* /Anomochilidae/ (Dwarf Pipe Snakes)
*Family* /Boidae/ (Boas and Pythons)
*Family* /Bolyeridae/ (Round Island Boas)
*Family* /Cylindrophiidae/ (Asian Pipe Snakes)
*Family* /Loxocemidae/ (Mexican Burrowing Pythons)
*Family* /Tropidophiidae/ (Woodsnakes, Round Island "Boas ")
*Family* /Uropeltidae/ (Short-tail Snakes)
*Family* /Xenopeltidae/ (Sunbeam Snakes)
*Superfamily* /Xenophidia/ (/Colubroidea/ = /Caenophidia/)
*Family* /Acrochordidae/ (File Snakes)
*Family* /Atractaspididae/ (Mole Vipers)
*Family* /Colubridae/ (Colubrids)
*Family* /Elapidae/ (Cobras, Kraits, Coral Snakes)
*Family* /Hydrophiidae/ (Sea Snakes)
*Family* /Viperidae/ (Vipers and Pit Vipers)
*Suborder* /Amphisbaenia/ (amphisbaenians)
*Family* /Amphisbaenidae/ (Worm Lizards)
*Family* /Trogonophidae/ (Shorthead Worm Lizards)
*Family* /Bipedidae/ (Two-legged Worm Lizards)
*Subclass* /Archosauria/
*Order* /Crocodylia/
*Suborder* /Eusuchia/
*Family* /Crocodylidae/ (Crocodiles)
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*Note 1:* The taxonomic position of turtles is quite controversial at
the present time. This classification represents the traditional,
conservative view. (Return <#one>)
*Source:* Modified from The EMBL Reptile Database, EMBL (European
Molecular Biology Laboratory), Heidelberg, Germany. (Maintained by Peter
Uetz, University of Washington. Modified by dlb) Taken off the Web, at
.
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This file last updated December 19, 1999.