Pygopodidae
| Pygopodidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Lialis burtonis | |
Scientific classification
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Superfamily: | Pygopodoidea |
| Family: | Pygopodidae Boulenger,1884[1] |
| Subfamilies | |
|
2, See text | |
| |
| Geographic range of the family Pygopodidae inAustraliaandNew Guinea. | |
Pygopodidae,commonly known assnake-lizards,orflap-footed lizards,are afamilyoflegless lizardswith reduced or absent limbs, and are a type ofgecko.[2]The 47speciesare placed in twosubfamiliesand eightgenera.They have unusually long, slender bodies, giving them a strong resemblance tosnakes.Like snakes and most geckos, they have no eyelids, but unlike snakes, they have external ear holes and flat, unforked tongues.[3]They are native toAustraliaandNew Guinea.[4]
Pygopodids have no fore limbs at all, but they do possessvestigialhind limbs in the form of small, flattened flaps.[3]These may have some role in courtship anddefensive behaviour,and may even aid in locomotion through vegetation. Some species areinsectivorousburrowing animals, but others are adapted to moving through densespinifexor other vegetation.
Shared gecko characteristics
[edit]The pygopodids and other geckos share a number of characteristics:
- the production of parchment-shelledeggsinclutchsizes of two[5][6][3]
- the ability to lick clean the clear spectacles that cover their lidless eyes;[7]
- vocalization sounds like the common gecko “harsh squeak”.[6]
- skull anatomy
- inner ears anatomy[4]
- communal nests. Some nests have been found to have as many as 30 eggs.
Differences from snakes
[edit]Legless lizards are often killed due to their similar appearance to snakes.[6]A number of external characteristics can be used to distinguish legless lizards (including the hooded scaly-foot) from snakes:[8][6][7]
- Flap-footed lizards have vestigial hind limbs.
- Legless lizards have broad, fleshy tongues, dissimilar from the forked tongues of snakes.
- Most legless lizards have external ears.
- Ventral scales are in a paired series.
- Unbroken tails in legless lizards are much longer than the body, whereas snake bodies are longer than their tails.
- Can vocalise, snakes can not.
Hearing
[edit]Pygopodids can hear tones higher than any other reptiles. Individuals in the speciesDelma paxcan respond to a 60-decibel sound with a frequency of 11,100Hz,more than anoctaveabovethe highest note on a standard piano.[9]
Taxonomy
[edit]
Pygopodidae is one of several taxonomic families ofgeckos,and is most closely related to two other Australian gecko familiesCarphodactylidaeandDiplodactylidae.[5][6][4]
Classification
[edit]FAMILY PYGOPODIDAE
- SubfamilyLialisinae
- Tribe Lialisini
- GenusLialis(two species)
- Tribe Lialisini
- SubfamilyPygopodinae
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Pygopodidae".Dahms Tierleben.www.dahmstierleben.de/systematik/Reptilien/Squamata/Gekkota/Pygopodidae.
- ^Gamble, Tony; Greenbaum, Eli; Jackman, Todd R.; Russell, Anthony P.; Bauer, Aaron M. (June 27, 2012)."Repeated origin and loss of adhesive toepads in geckos".PLOS ONE.7(6): e39429.Bibcode:2012PLoSO...739429G.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039429.PMC3384654.PMID22761794.
- ^abcBauer, Aaron M. (1998).Cogger HG,Zweifel RG(eds.).Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians.San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 150–152.ISBN0-12-178560-2.
- ^abcShea, Glenn."Fauna of Australia: Family Pygopodidae"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 August 2012.Retrieved16 June2012.
- ^abPatchell, Frederick; Richard Shine (February 1986). "Food habits and reproductive biology of the Australian legless lizards (Pygopodidae)".Copeia.1986(1): 30–39.doi:10.2307/1444884.JSTOR1444884.
- ^abcdeWilson, Steve (2003).A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia.New Holland: Reed.
- ^abWilson, Steve (2005).A Field Guide to Reptiles of Queensland.Australia: New Holland.
- ^Hoser, Raymond (1989).Australian Reptiles and Frogs.Pierson & Co.
- ^Manley GA, Kraus JEM (2010)."Exceptional high-frequency hearing and matched vocalizations in Australian pygopod geckos"(PDF).The Journal of Experimental Biology.213(11): 1876–1885.doi:10.1242/jeb.040196.PMID20472775.S2CID17996056.
Further reading
[edit]
- Boulenger GA(1884). "Synopsis of the Families of existing Lacertilia".Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Fifth Series14:117–122. (Pygopodidae, new family, p. 119).
- Goin CJ,Goin OB,Zug GR(1978).Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition.San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. xi + 378 pp.ISBN0-7167-0020-4.(Family Pygopodidae, pp. 285–286).
- Kluge AG(1974). "A taxonomic revision of the lizard family Pygopodidae".Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan(147): 1–221.
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