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 alt ...
Reeder et al. (2002) re-examined the nomenclature for the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' ('' sensu lato'') and split it into the two
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 nomenclat ...
''
Aspidoscelis
''Aspidoscelis'' is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae.
Taxonomy
The nomenclature for the genus ''Aspidoscelis'' was published by T.W. Reeder et al. in 2002. Many species that were formerly included in the genus '' Cnemidophorus'' ...
'' and ''Cnemidophorus'' (''
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular co ...
''). A further split by Harvey et al. (2012) added the genera '' Ameivula'' and ''
Contomastix
''Contomastix'' is a genus of lizards in the family Teiidae. The genus is endemic to South America.
Species
The genus ''Contomastix'' contains the following six species which are recognized as being valid, listed alphabetically.greave-wearing", from the Ancient Greek ' (
combining form
Neoclassical compounds are compound words composed from combining forms (which act as affixes or stems) derived from classical Latin or ancient Greek roots. New Latin comprises many such words and is a substantial component of the technical an ...
of ', "greave", a leg armor) and ' ("bearer").
Reproduction
In some of the ''Cnemidophorus'' species, there are no males, and they reproduce through parthenogenesis. This is well known in
bee
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...
s and aphids, but is very rare in vertebrates. Those species without males are now known to originate through
hybridization
Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to:
*Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid
*Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals
*Nu ...
, or interspecific breeding. Occasionally, a mating between a female of one species and a male of another produces a parthenogen, a female that is able to produce viable eggs that are genetically identical to her own cells. The lizards that hatch from these eggs are thus also parthenogens that can again produce identical eggs, resulting in an asexual, clonal population. Parthenogenetic species resulting from a single hybridization are diploid (that is, they have two sets of chromosomes just as sexual species do), but sometimes these females mate with other males, producing offspring which are triploid (that is, they have three sets of chromosomes, or 50% more than equivalent sexual species; see polyploidy). Over 30% of the genus ''Cnemidophorus'' are parthenogenic.
Species
The genus ''Cnemidophorus'' (''sensu stricto'') contains the following species which are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org.
*''
Cnemidophorus arenivagus
''Cnemidophorus arenivagus'' is a species of teiid lizard found in Venezuela.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2980942
arenivagus
Reptiles described in 1997
Taxa named by Allan L. Markezich
Taxa named by Charles J. Cole
Taxa named by Herber ...
''
*''
Cnemidophorus arubensis
''Cnemidophorus arubensis'', the Aruba whiptail, or cododo is a species of whiptail lizard in the genus ''Cnemidophorus''. It is found on the island of Aruba. They are considered the most abundant lizard species on the island of Aruba.
Diet
Aru ...
Cnemidophorus flavissimus
''Cnemidophorus flavissimus'' is a species of teiid lizard found on Islas Los Frailes in Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the n ...
Cnemidophorus lemniscatus
The rainbow whiptail (''Cnemidophorus lemniscatus'') is a species of lizard found in Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It has also been introduced in Florida and has established populations there. A rainbow whiptail grow ...
Cnemidophorus pseudolemniscatus
''Cnemidophorus pseudolemniscatus'', Colee's racerunner, is a species of teiid lizard found in Suriname and French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas depart ...
Cnemidophorus vanzoi
The Saint Lucia whiptail (''Cnemidophorus vanzoi''), also known commonly as the Maria Islands whiptail, the Saint Lucian whiptail, and Vanzo's whiptail, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is indigenous to the Caribbean.
...
'' - Saint Lucia whiptail, Vanzo's whiptail
'' Nota bene'': A
binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Cnemidophorus''.
See also
* ''
Aspidoscelis
''Aspidoscelis'' is a genus of whiptail lizards in the family Teiidae.
Taxonomy
The nomenclature for the genus ''Aspidoscelis'' was published by T.W. Reeder et al. in 2002. Many species that were formerly included in the genus '' Cnemidophorus'' ...
''
* ''
Darevskia
''Darevskia'' is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae living in the Caucasus, Iran and Turkey in forest and grassy habitats with numerous rock outcrops. Among rock lizards, 7 parthenogenetic species are known.
Description
These are ...
'', another lizard genus containing several parthenogenic species.
*Harvey, Michael B.; Ugueto, Gabriel N.; Gutberlet, Ronald L. (2012). "Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata)". ''Zootaxa'' 3459: 1-156.
* Wagler J (1830). ''Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie''. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (''Cnemidophorus'', new genus, p. 154). (in German and Latin).