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Dactyloidae
Dactyloidae are a family of lizards commonly known as anoles () and native to warmer parts of the Americas, ranging from southeastern United States to Paraguay. Instead of treating it as a family, some authorities prefer to treat it as a subfamily, Dactyloidae, of the family Iguanidae. In the past they were included in the family Polychrotidae together with ''Polychrus'' (bush anoles), but the latter genus is not closely related to the true anoles. Anoles are small to fairly large lizards, typically green or brownish, but their color varies depending on species and many can also change it. In most species at least the male has a dewlap, an often brightly colored flap of skin that extends from the throat/neck and is used in displays. Anoles share several characteristics with geckos, including details of the foot structure (for climbing) and the ability to voluntarily break off the tail (to escape predators), but they are only very distantly related, anoles being part of Iguania. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguania
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most Iguanias are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. The group has a fossil record that extends back to the Early Jurassic (the oldest known member is '' B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polychrotidae
The Polychrotidae family (sometimes classified as the Polychrotinae subfamily instead) of iguanian lizards contains the living genus ''Polychrus'' (commonly called bush anoles) and the extinct genus ''Afairiguana''. The family Polychrotidae was once thought to encompass all anoles, including those in the genus ''Anolis'' (which are now included in the family Dactyloidae). Studies of the evolutionary relationships of anoles based on molecular information has shown that ''Polychrus'' is not closely related to ''Anolis'', but instead closer to Hoplocercidae Hoplocercidae are a family of lizards native to the tropical forests, woodlands and savanna-like habitats of Central and South America. Alternatively they are recognized as a subfamily, Hoplocercinae. 20 species in three genera are described. Sp .... It is therefore not part of Dactyloidae and instead is treated as the family, Polychrotidae. References Extant Ypresian first appearances Lizard families Extant Eocene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leach's Anole
Anolis leachii, the Antigua Bank tree anole, Barbuda Bank tree anole, or panther anole, is a species of anole, a lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean. Geographic range ''A. leachii'' is native to Antigua and Barbuda, an island-nation in the Caribbean Lesser Antilles, where it can be found on both main islands. It has also been introduced to Bermuda. Description ''A. leachii'' is a relatively large anole species. Sympatry ''A. leachii'' coexists with the smaller anoles '' A. wattsi'' on Antigua, and '' A. forresti'' on Barbuda.Malhotra, Anita; Thorpe, Roger S. (1999). ''Reptiles & Amphibians of the Eastern Caribbean''. London: Macmillan Education Ltd. 144 pp. . (''Anolis leachii'', pp. 68, 71). Etymology The specific name, ''leachii'', is in honor of English zoologist William Elford Leach.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the genus. :E.g. ''Panthera leo'' (lion) and ''Panthera onca'' (jaguar) are two species within the genus '' Panthera''. ''Panthera'' is a genus within the family Felidae. The composition of a genus is determined by taxonomists. The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: # monophyly – all descendants of an ancestral taxon are grouped together (i.e. phylogenetic analysis should clearly demons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Some lineages (known as "legless lizards"), have secondarily lost their legs, and have long snake-like bodies. Some such as the forest-dwelling ''Draco'' lizards are able to glide. They are often territorial, the males fighting off other males and signalling, often with bright colours, to attract mates and to intimidate rivals. Lizards are mainly carnivorous, often being sit-and-wait predators; many smaller species eat insects, while the Komodo eats mammals a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carolina Anole
''Anolis carolinensis'' or green anole () (among other names below) is a tree-dwelling species of anole lizard native to the southeastern United States and introduced to islands in the Pacific and Caribbean. A small to medium-sized lizard, the green anole is a trunk-crown ecomorph and can change its color to several shades from brown to green. Other common names include the Carolina anole, Carolina green anole, American anole, American green anole, North American green anole and red-throated anole. It is sometimes referred to as the American chameleon (typically in the pet trade) due to its color-changing ability; however, it is not a true chameleon. Description The green anole is a small to medium-sized lizard, with a slender body. The head is long and pointed with ridges between the eyes and nostrils, and smaller ones on the top of the head. The toes have adhesive pads to facilitate climbing. They exhibit sexual dimorphism, the males being fifteen percent larger. Adult ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguanidae
The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana. Taxonomy Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaphytidae); the two groups likely diverged during the Late Cretaceous, as that is when ''Pristiguana'' and ''Pariguana'', the two earliest fossil genera, are known from. The subfamily Iguaninae, which contains all modern genera, likely originated in the earliest Paleocene, at 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. A phylogenetic tree of Iguaninae is shown here: Description Iguanas and iguana-type species are divers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polychrus
''Polychrus'' is the only extant genus of polychrotid lizards in the world. Commonly called bush anoles, they are found in Central and South America, as well as nearby Trinidad and Tobago. ''Polychrus'' means "many colored". True anoles in other genera are now placed in Dactyloidae. ''Polychrus'' is presently in the family Polychrotidae. Species *''Polychrus acutirostris'' Spix, 1825 – Brazilian bush anole *''Polychrus auduboni'' Hallowell, 1845 – Many-colored bush anole *''Polychrus femoralis'' Werner, 1910 – Werner's bush anole *''Polychrus gutturosus'' Berthold, 1845 – Berthold's bush anole *''Polychrus jacquelinae'' Koch, Venegas, Garcia-Bravo, and Böhme, 2011 - Jacquelin's bush anole *''Polychrus liogaster'' Boulenger, 1908 – Boulenger's bush anole *''Polychrus marmoratus'' Linnaeus, 1758 – Many-colored Bush Anole, Common monkey lizard *''Polychrus peruvianus'' Noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anolis Bartschi
''Anolis bartschi'', also known commonly as the Pinar Del Rio cliff anole, western cliff anole, and the west Cuban anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is endemic to Cuba. Description A medium-sized anole, adult males of ''A. bartschi'' have a typical snout-to-vent length of and females . It is one of only two anoles that completely lack a dewlap (both sexes), the other being the Cuban stream anole ('' A. vermiculatus''). Geographic range ''A. bartschi'' is native to western Cuba (Pinar del Río Province). www.reptile-database.org. Habitat The preferred natural habitat of ''A. bartschi'' is forest in limestone karst areas. Reproduction ''A. bartschi'' is oviparous. It is among the relatively few anole species in which females may lay their eggs together, forming a communal nest in cavities in a steep cliff. Etymology The specific name, ''bartschi'', is in honor of zoologist Paul Bartsch, who collected the holotype. Beolens B, Watkins M, G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cocos Island
Cocos Island ( es, Isla del Coco) is an island in the Pacific Ocean administered by Costa Rica, approximately southwest of the Costa Rican mainland. It constitutes the 11th of the 13 districts of Puntarenas Canton of the Province of Puntarenas. With an area of approximately , the island is more or less rectangular in shape. It is the southernmost point of geopolitical North America if non-continental islands are included. The entirety of Cocos Island has been designated a Costa Rican National Park since 1978, and has no permanent inhabitants other than Costa Rican park rangers. Surrounded by deep waters with counter-currents, Cocos Island is admired by scuba divers for its populations of hammerhead sharks, rays, dolphins and other large marine species. The wet climate and oceanic qualities give Cocos an ecological character that is not shared with either the Galápagos Archipelago or any of the other islands (for example, Malpelo, Gorgona or Coiba) in the eastern Pacific O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gorgona Island (Colombia)
Gorgona is a Colombian island in the Pacific Ocean situated about off the Colombian Pacific coast. The island is long and wide, with a maximum height of and a total area of . Gorgona is separated from the continent by a deep underwater depression. Administratively the island is part of the Municipality of Guapí in the Department of Cauca. Gorgona functioned as a prison from 1959 until 1984 when it was turned into a National Natural Park. The island, noted for its many endemic species and unique ecosystems, was established as Gorgona Island National Park in 1985, in order to preserve its richly varied wildlife of the sub-tropical forest and the coral reefs offshore. History Early settlements Gorgona was first inhabited by people possibly associated with the Tumaco-Tolita culture. The indigenous Kuna or Cuna of Urabá ( Colombia) and San Blas (Panama), have the tradition of being the first settlers of the island. They left archeological remains dating back to 1300 AD. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malpelo Island
Malpelo is a small oceanic island in the eastern Pacific Ocean, located about west of the Colombian mainland with a military post manned by the Colombian Armed Forces. It consists of a sheer and barren rock with three high peaks, the highest being ''Cerro de la Mona'' with a height of . The island is about in length from northeast to southwest, and in width. Geography Malpelo is the only island that rises above the surface from the Malpelo Ridge, which is a solitary volcanic submarine ridge that extends in a northeast-southwest direction with a length of and a width of . This island is surrounded by a number of offshore rocks. Off the northeast corner are the ''Tres Mosqueteros''. Off the southwest corner are ''Salomón'', ''Saúl'', ''La Gringa'', and ''Escuba''. All the rocks are surrounded by deep water, and most of the face of the main island is very steep. Soundings between are obtainable within a few kilometres of the shore and the currents are strong and changeable ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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