Leiosauridae

Leiosauridae

Leiosauridae

Family of lizards

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Leiosauridae is a family of iguanian lizards containing six genera and 34 species. The family is endemic to Central America and South America.

Taxonomy

A 2022 phylogenetic study found the Leiosauridae to be the sister taxa to the Opluridae, a unique family of iguanians endemic to Madagascar, and one of only two pleurodont lineages found outside the Americas (the other being the genus Brachylophus). This called into question the previous hypothesis of Opluridae being the last members of an ancient lineage of Gondwanan iguanians, as the study found that the Leiosauridae and Opluridae only diverged during the Paleocene, about 60 million years ago. Opluridae are now thought to have colonized Madagascar via oceanic dispersal from South America, either directly or indirectly.[1]

Genera

The family Leiosauridae contains the following genera:[2]

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References

  1. [1]
    Welt, Rachel S.; Raxworthy, Christopher J. (2022-02-01). "Dispersal, not vicariance, explains the biogeographic origin of iguanas on Madagascar". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 167: 107345. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107345. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 34748875. S2CID 243821392.
  2. [2]
    "Leiosauridae". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.

Further reading

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