Gerrhosauridae

Gerrhosauridae
Temporal range: Late Maastrichtian to present
Broadleysaurus major
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Infraorder: Scincomorpha
Clade: Cordyliformes
Family: Gerrhosauridae
Fitzinger, 1843

The Gerrhosauridae are a family of lizards native to Africa and Madagascar. They are close relatives of skinks and were once classified in the same family as them.

Habitat

Also known as plated lizards, species in the family Gerrhosauridae live in a range of habitats, from rocky crevices to sand dunes.

Description

Their form is variable, some species having four fully developed limbs, and others having vestigial hind limbs only.

Reproduction

Most species are believed to be oviparous.

Classification

Family Gerrhosauridae

The extinct Konkasaurus from the Late Cretaceous (~66 million years ago) of Madagascar was tentatively identified as a member of the family Cordylidae (the sister group to gerrhosaurids, together forming the Cordyliformes) in its 2003 description. Upon more detailed investigation using micro-CT scans of the available fossils, it was reidentified as a member of the Gerrhosauridae within the subfamily Zonosaurinae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bauer AM [in French] (1998). Cogger HG, Zweifel RG (ed.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 161–162. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  2. ↑ Stanley, Edward L; Fenner, Kelsey L; Daza, Juan D; Heinicke, Matthew P; Arias, J Salvador; Krause, David W (2026-08-01). "New insights into the phylogenetic position and palaeobiogeography of Konkasaurus mahalana (Squamata: Scincoidea) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 207 (4) zlag122. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlag122. ISSN 0024-4082.

Further reading