Iguanidae

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Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox

The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives,<ref name=EoR>Template:Cite book</ref> including the widespread green iguana.

Taxonomy

Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaphytidae). This family likely first appeared in Cenozoic, previously identified two Cretaceous genera (Pristiguana and Pariguana) are unlikely to belong to this family.<ref name=":2" /> The subfamily Iguaninae, which contains all modern genera, likely originated in the earliest Paleocene, about 62 million years ago. The most basal extant genus, Dipsosaurus, diverged from the rest of Iguaninae during the late Eocene, about 38 million years ago, with Brachylophus following a few million years later at about 35 million years ago, presumably after its dispersal event to the Pacific. All other modern iguana genera formed in the Neogene period.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

A phylogenetic tree of Iguaninae is shown here:<ref name=":0" /> Template:Clade

Description

Iguanas and iguana-type species are diverse in terms of size, appearance, and habitat. They typically flourish in tropical, warm climates, such as regions of South America and islands in the Caribbean and in the Pacific. Iguanas typically possess dorsal spines across their back, a dewlap on the neck, sharp claws, a long whip-like tail, and a stocky, squat build. Most iguanas are arboreal, living in trees, but some species tend to be more terrestrial, which means they prefer the ground. Iguanas are typically herbivores and their diets vary based on what plant life is available within their habitat. Iguanas across many species remain oviparious, and exhibit little to no parental care when their eggs hatch. They do, however, display nest-guarding behavior. Like all extant non-avian reptiles, they are poikilothermic, and also rely on regular periods of basking under the sun to thermoregulate.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Distribution

All but one of the modern iguana genera are native to the Americas, ranging from the deserts of the Southwestern United States through Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, to throughout South America down to northernmost Argentina. Some iguanas like I. iguana have spread from their native regions of Central and South America into many Pacific Islands, and even to Fiji, Japan, and Hawaiʻi, due to the exotic pet trade and illegal introductions into the ecosystems.<ref name="bioone.org">Template:Cite journal</ref> Other iguanas, like the Galapagos pink iguana (C. marthae) are endemic only to specific regions on the Galapagos islands. The Grand Cayman blue iguana, C. lewisi, is endemic only to the Grand Cayman island, limited to a small wildlife reserve.<ref name=":1" /> The only non-American iguana species are the members of the genus Brachylophus and the extinct Lapitiguana, which are found on Fiji and formerly Tonga; their distribution is thought to be the result of the longest overwater dispersal event ever recorded for a vertebrate species, with them rafting over 8000  km across the Pacific from the Americas to the Fiji and Tonga.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Extant genera

Image Genus Species
Amblyrhynchus Template:Small – marine iguana
Brachylophus Template:Small – Fijian/Tongan iguanas
Cachryx Template:Small – spinytail iguanas
Conolophus Template:Small – Galápagos land iguanas
Ctenosaura Template:Small – spiny-tailed iguanas
Cyclura Template:Small – West Indian rock iguanas
Dipsosaurus Template:Small – desert iguanas
Iguana Template:Small – green and Lesser Antillean iguanas
  • Iguana delicatissima — Lesser Antillean iguana Laurenti, 1768
  • Iguana iguana — Green iguana (Linnaeus, 1758)
    • Iguana iguana insularis — Grenadines horned iguana
    • Iguana iguana melanoderma — Saban black iguana
    • Iguana iguana sanctaluciae — St. Lucia Horned Iguana
Sauromalus Template:Small – chuckwallas

Fossils

Image Genus Species
Armandisaurus Template:Small
Lapitiguana Template:Small
Pumilia Template:Small

Cretaceous Pristiguana brasiliensis and Pariguana lancensis are later excluded from the family.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Classification

Several classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. The "historical" classification recognized all New World iguanians, plus Brachylophus and the Madagascar oplurines, as informal groups and not as formal subfamilies.<ref name=EstesLizards>Template:Cite book</ref>

Frost and Etheridge (1989) formally recognized these informal groupings as families.<ref>D.R. Frost & R. Etheridge (1989) «A phylogenetic analysis and taxonomy of iguanian lizards (Reptilia: Squamata)» Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Publ. 81</ref><ref>D.R. Frost, R. Etheridge, D. Janies & T.A. Titus (2001) Total evidence, sequence alignment, evolution of polychrotid lizards, and a reclassification of the Iguania (Squamata: Iguania) American Museum Novitates 3343: 38 pp.</ref>

Macey et al. (1997), in their analysis of molecular data for iguanian lizards recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae and formally recognized the eight families proposed by Frost and Etheridge (1989) as subfamilies of Iguanidae.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Schulte et al. (2003) reanalyzed the morphological data of Frost and Etheridge in combination with molecular data for all major groups of Iguanidae and recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae, but the subfamilies Polychrotinae and Tropidurinae were not monophyletic.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Townsend et al. (2011), Wiens et al. (2012) and Pyron et al. (2013), in the most comprehensive phylogenies published to date, recognized most groups at family level, resulting in a narrower definition of Iguanidae.<ref name=Townsend2011>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Wiens2012>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=Pyron2013>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Historical classification

Family Iguanidae

  • Informal grouping anoloids: anoles, leiosaurs, Polychrus
  • Informal grouping basiliscines: casquehead lizards
  • Informal grouping crotaphytines: collared and leopard lizards
  • Informal grouping iguanines: marine, Fijian, Galapagos land, spinytail, rock, desert, green, and chuckwalla iguanas
  • Informal grouping morunasaurs: wood lizards, clubtails
  • Informal grouping oplurines: Madagascan iguanids
  • Informal grouping sceloporines: earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards
  • Informal grouping tropidurines: curly-tailed lizards, South American swifts, neotropical ground lizards

Frost et al. (1989) classification of iguanas

Family Corytophanidae
Family Crotaphytidae
Family Hoplocercidae
Family Iguanidae

Family Opluridae
Family Phrynosomatidae
Family Polychridae
Family Tropiduridae

Macey et al. (1997) classification of Iguanidae

Family Iguanidae

Schulte et al. (2003) classification of Iguanidae

Here families and subfamilies are proposed as clade names, but may be recognized under the traditional Linnean nomenclature.

Iguanidae

  • subclade of Polychrotinae Anolis: anoles
  • subclade of Polychrotinae Leiosaurini: leiosaurs
  • Tropidurinae: curly-tailed lizards, neotropical ground lizards, South American swifts
  • subclade of Tropidurinae Leiocephalus: curly-tailed lizards
  • subclade of Tropidurinae Liolaemini: South American swifts
  • subclade of Tropidurinae Tropidurini: neotropical ground lizards

Townsend et al. (2011), Wiens et al. (2012) and Pyron et al. (2013) classification of Iguanidae

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Squamata families Template:Iguanidae Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control

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