Lizards

Some characteristics of Lacertilia: Lizards and snakes group together to compose the Squamata. Lacertilia, the suborder containing Lizards, is not a true group in an evolutionary sense as it does not contain all members of its common ancestor. However, because snakes and lizards differ greatly in respect to morphology, physiology and behavior, they are usually considered separately. One structure that lizards and snakes share that is absent in other reptiles is the hemipenis, the paired copulatory organ in males.
Superficially, lizards look like salamanders, but salamanders do not have scales nor claws on their toes.

There are about 4,300 species of lizards, in 420 genera in 26 families. Two of them, both occuring from southwestern US to Guatemala, are venomous: the Beaded Lizard and the Gila Monster (genus Heloderma). Lizards are cosmopolitan in distribution but are lacking from extremely high latitudes.

Some additional links on Lizards:

• South Carolina Reptiles and Amphibians
• Amphibians and Reptiles of the Savannah River Site
• The EMBL Database
• Biological and Environmental Sciences Library-Duke University- Lizards
  

Literature: Estes, R., K. de Queiroz, and J. Gauthier. 1988. Phylogenetic relationships within Squamata. Pages 119-281 in R. Estes and G. Pregill, eds., Phylogenetic relationships of the lizard families. Essays commemorating Charles L. Camp, Stanford University Press, Stanford, California.

Hedges S. B. and L. L. Poling. 1999. A molecular phylogeny of reptiles. Science 283: 998-1001.

Species in brown font were observed in the ACE Basin during a herpetofauna survey in 2002- species in red font are presumed to occur there based on their overall range!

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Lizards