Iguanas
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertilia
Infraorder:	Iguania
Family:	Iguanidae
Genera
Amblyrhynchus Brachylophus Conolophus Ctenosaura Cyclura Dipsosaurus Iguana Sauromalus

Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.^[1]

Classification of Iguanidae[link]

Several classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. The "historical" classification recognized all New World iguanians, plus Brachylophus and the Madagascar oplurines as informal groups and not as formal subfamilies. ^[2]

Frost and Etheridge (1989) formally recognized these informal groupings as families. This view is not generally accepted.^[3][4]

Macey et al. (1997) in their analysis of molecular data for iguanian lizards recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae and formally recognized the eight families proposed by Frost and Etheridge (1989) as subfamilies of Iguanidae.^[5]

Schulte et al. (2003) reanalyzed the morphological data of Frost and Etheridge in combination with molecular data for all major groups of Iguanidae and recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae but the subfamilies Polychrotinae and Tropidurinae were not monophyletic. The phylogenetic classification of Iguania from this work is the current and most generally accepted classification of iguanid lizards.^[6]

Historical classification[link]

Family Iguanidae

• Informal grouping Anoloids: anoles, leiosaurs, Polychrus
• Informal grouping Basiliscines: casquehead lizards
• Informal grouping Crotaphytines: collared and leopard lizards
• Informal grouping Iguanines: marine, Fijian, Galapagos land, spinytail, rock, desert, green, and chuckwalla iguanas
• Informal grouping Morunasaurs: wood lizards, clubtails
• Informal grouping Oplurines: Madagascan iguanids
• Informal grouping Sceloporines: earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards
• Informal grouping Tropidurines: curly-tailed lizards, South American swifts, neotropical ground lizards

[edit] Frost et al. (1989) classification of iguanas

Family Corytophanidae Family Crotaphytidae Family Hoplocercidae Family Iguanidae

• Genus Amblyrhynchus – Galápagos marine iguana
• Genus Brachylophus – Fijian/Tongan iguanas
• Genus Conolophus – Galápagos land iguana
• Genus Ctenosaura – spinytail iguanas
• Genus Cyclura – West Indian rock iguanas
• Genus Dipsosaurus – desert iguana
• Genus Iguana – green and lesser Antillean iguanas
• Genus Sauromalus – chuckwallas
• Genus Armandisaurus (extinct chuckwalla)
• Genus Gangiguana (extinct)
• Genus Lapitiguana (extinct giant Fijian iguana)
• Genus Pumila (extinct Palm Springs iguana)

Family Opluridae Family Phrynosomatidae Family Polychridae Family Tropiduridae

Macey et al. (1997) classification of Iguanidae[link]

Family Iguanidae

• Subfamily Corytophaninae: casquehead lizards
• Subfamily Crotaphytinae: collared and leopard lizards
• Subfamily Hoplocercinae: wood lizards, clubtails
• Subfamily Iguaninae: marine, Fijian, Galapagos land, spinytail, rock, desert, green, and chuckwalla iguanas
• Subfamily Oplurinae: Madagascan iguanids
• Subfamily Phrynosomatinae: earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards
• Subfamily Polychrotinae: anoles, leiosaurs, Polychrus
• Subfamily Tropidurinae: curly-tailed lizards, neotropical ground lizards, South American Swifts

Schulte et al. (2003) classification of Iguanidae - Here families and subfamilies are proposed as clade names but may be recognized under the traditional Linnean nomenclature[link]

Iguanidae

• Corytophaninae: casquehead lizards
• Crotaphytinae: collared and leopard lizards
• Hoplocercinae: wood lizards, clubtails
• Iguaninae: marine, Fijian, Galapagos land, spinytail, rock, desert, green, and chuckwalla iguanas
• Oplurinae: Madagascan iguanids
• Phrynosomatinae: earless, spiny, tree, side-blotched and horned lizards
• Polychrotinae: anoles, leiosaurs, Polychrus

• subclade of Polychrotinae Anolis: anoles
• subclade of Polychrotinae Leiosaurini: leiosaurs

• subclade of Leiosaurini Leiosaurae:
• subclade of Leiosaurini Anisolepae:

• subclade of Polychrotinae Polychrus

• Tropidurinae: curly-tailed lizards, neotropical ground lizards, South American Swifts

• subclade of Tropidurinae Leiocephalus: curly-tailed lizards
• subclade of Tropidurinae Liolaemini: South American Swifts
• subclade of Tropidurinae Tropidurini: neotropical ground lizards

• 

  Ctenosaura similis, Tulum, Mexico

• 

  Green Iguana sp.

• 

  Lesser Antillean Iguana, Dominica, W.I..

• 

  Marine Iguanas, Galapagos Islands.

• 

  Galapagos Land Iguana, Galapagos Islands.

• 

  Iguana found in the Florida Keys, diving into the sea.

• 

  A desert iguana from Amboy Crater, California.

• 

  Ctenosaura similis, Tulum, Mexico

References[link]

External links[link]

• Family iguanidae