Legless lizard may refer to any of several groups of

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 ...

s that have independently lost limbs or reduced them to the point of being of no use in locomotion.Pough ''et al.'' 1992. Herpetology: Third Edition. Pearson Prentice Hall:Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. It is the common name for the family

Pygopodidae Pygopodidae, commonly known as legless lizard, legless lizards, snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, is a Family (biology), family of squamates with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. At least 35 species are placed in two subfami ...

. These lizards are often distinguishable from

snakes Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joi ...

on the basis of one or more of the following characteristics: possessing eyelids, possessing external ear openings, lack of broad belly scales, notched rather than forked tongue, having two more-or-less-equal

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

s, and/or having a very long tail (while snakes have a long body and short tail). Many

families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...

of lizards have independently evolved limblessness or greatly reduced limbs (which are presumably non-functional in locomotion), including the following examples: *

Anguidae Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. Common characteristics of this group include a reduced supratemporal arch, striations on the medial faces of tooth crowns, osteoderms, and a lateral fold ...

– 102 species, of which 17 are limbless and in the

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 ...

Ophisaurus ''Ophisaurus'' (from the Greek 'snake-lizard') is a genus of superficially snake-like lizards in the family Anguidae. Known as joint snakes, glass snakes, or glass lizards, they are so-named because their tails are easily broken; like many liz ...

'', ''Pseudopus'' and '' Anguis'' from Eurasia and North America. *

Cordylidae Cordylidae is a family of small- to medium-sized lizards that occur in southern and eastern Africa. They are commonly known as girdled lizards, spinytail lizards, or girdle-tail lizards. Cordylidae is closely related to the family Gerrhosauridae ...

– an African family of 66 species, with one virtually legless genus ''

Chamaesaura The ''Chamaesaura'', also known as grass lizards, are a genus of legless lizards from southern and eastern Africa. The limbs are reduced to small spikes. Chamaesaura propel themselves like snakes, pushing against contact points in the environme ...

'', containing five species with hindlimbs reduced to small scaly protuberances. *

– all 44 species; they belong to the genera ''

Aprasia ''Aprasia'' is a genus of lizards in the family Pygopodidae. The genus is endemic to Australia. The species in the genus ''Aprasia'' are worm-like, burrowing lizards. At least four of the species are oviparous. Species The genus ''Aprasia'' c ...

'', ''

Delma ''Delma'' is a genus of lizards in the family Pygopodidae. The genus ''Delma'' contains 22 valid described species, all of which are endemic to Australia. Species Recognized species of ''Delma'' according to thReptile Database *''Delma australi ...

'', ''

Lialis ''Lialis'' is a genus of legless lizards in the family Pygopodidae. The genus is native to Australia and New Guinea. Diet Lizards in the genus ''Lialis'' specialize in eating skinks.Patchell F, Shine R (1986). "Feeding Mechanisms in Pygopodid L ...

'', ''

Ophidiocephalus The bronzeback snake-lizard (''Ophidiocephalus taeniatus'') is a species of lizards in the family Pygopodidae endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, ...

'', ''

Paradelma ''Paradelma orientalis'', commonly known as the Brigalow scaly-foot or Queensland snake-lizard, is a species of legless lizard in the family Pygopodidae. It is endemic to Australia and is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Paradelma''. Co ...

'', '' Pletholax'' and ''

Pygopus ''Pygopus'' is a genus belonging to the family of Australian legless lizards (Pygopodidae). Members of this genus are also commonly called scaly-foot. Species Within the genus ''Pygopus'' the following five species are recognized as being valid ...

''. All are endemic to Australia, except the two species of ''Lialis'', which also occur in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

, one of which is endemic to that island. Pygopodids are not strictly legless since, although they lack forelimbs, they possess hindlimbs that are greatly reduced to small digitless flaps, hence the often used common names of "flap-footed lizards" or "scaly-foot". The pygopodids are considered an advanced evolutionary

clade A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

of the

Gekkota Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

, which also contains six families of

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

s. *

Dibamidae Dibamidae or blind skinks is a family of lizards characterized by their elongated cylindrical body and an apparent lack of limbs. Female dibamids are entirely limbless and the males retain small flap-like hind limbs, which they use to grip their ...

– all 23 species in the family, which comprises the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

Mexican genus '' Anelytropsis'' and the Southeast Asian genus ''

Dibamus ''Dibamus'' is a genus of legless lizards in the family Dibamidae. Neang T, Holden J, Eastoe T, Seng R, Ith S, Grismer LL (2011). "A new species of ''Dibamus'' (Squamata: Dibamidae) from Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, southwestern Cardamo ...

''. All are limbless burrowers that are nearly or completely blind. * Anniellidae – comprising the single genus '' Anniella'', which contains six legless lizards that inhabit central / southern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

, Mexico. *

Gymnophthalmidae Gymnophthalmidae is a family of lizards with at least 250 species, sometimes known commonly as spectacled lizards or microteiids. They are called "spectacled" because of their transparent lower eyelids, which allow them to still see with closed ...

– a large

neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

family containing many species with reduced limbs, the most extreme being the 23 species in the genus ''

Bachia :''"Bachia"'' as described by Förster in 1869 is now the cryptine wasp genus '' Bachiana''. ''Bachia'' is a genus of lizards that belong to the spectacled lizards family.saltatory "figure-8" flicks with the body and tail. * Scincidae – commonly known as skinks, the largest lizard family with over 1500 species, of which many are limbless and nearly-limbless species, including (but not confined to) the genera ''

Acontias ''Acontias'' is a genus of limbless skinks, the lance skinks, (family Scincidae) in the African subfamily Acontinae.Branch 2004. Most are small animals, but the largest member of the genus is ''Acontias plumbeus'' at approximately snout-ven ...

'', '' Feylinia'', '' Melanoseps'', ''

Paracontias ''Paracontias'' is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus is endemic to Madagascar. Taxonomy and systematics ''Paracontias'' is usually placed in the subfamily Scincinae, which seems to be paraphyletic however. Probably ...

'' and ''

Typhlosaurus ''Typhlosaurus'' is a genus of African lizards, one of a number of genera of limbless lizards in the skink family ( Scincidae). This group was recently revised with most species formerly attributed to ''Typhlosaurus'' now placed in ''Acontias''. ...

'' from Africa, ''Lerista'' from Australia, and some species in the genera '' Chalcides'' from southern Europe and North Africa, and ''

Scelotes ''Scelotes'' is a genus of small African skinks. Species The following 21 species are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org *'' Scelotes anguinus'' ( Boulenger, 1887) – Algoa dwarf burrowing skink, Boulenger's burrowing skink, ...

'' from southern Africa. *

Amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As ...

- comprising over 180 extant species, most of which are legless.

References

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See also

References