Pygopodidae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Gekkota
Infraordo: Pygopodomorpha

Familia: Pygopodidae
Genera (7): Aprasia – Delma – Lialis – Ophidiocephalus – Paradelma – Pletholax – Pygopus

Name

Pygopodidae Boulenger, 1884
References

Hutchinson, M. 1998: The first fossil pygopodid (Squamata, Gekkota), and a review of mandibular variation in living species. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, 41: 355–366.
Jennings, W.B.; Pianka, E.R.; Donnellan, S. 2003: Systematics of the lizard family Pygopodidae with implications for the diversification of Australian temperate biotas. Systematic biology, 52 (6): 757–780. DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/52.6.757 JSTOR PDF
Kluge, A.G. 1976: Phylogenetic relationships in the lizard family Pygopodidae: an evaluation of theory, methods and data. Miscellaneous publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, (152 ) PDF
Han, D.-M., Zhou, K.-Y. & Bauer, A.M. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships among gekkotan lizards inferred from C-mos nuclear DNA sequences and a new classification of the Gekkota. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 83(3): 353–368. DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2004.00393.x Open access Reference page.

Vernacular names
English: legless lizards, snake-lizards, flap-footed lizards
polski: Płatonogowate

Pygopodidae, commonly known as legless lizards, snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, is a family of squamates with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko.[2] At least 35 species are placed in two subfamilies and eight genera. They have unusually long, slender bodies, giving them a strong resemblance to snakes. 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 to Australia and New Guinea.[4]

Pygopodids have no fore limbs at all, but they do possess vestigial hind limbs in the form of small, flattened flaps.[3] These may have some role in courtship and defensive behaviour, and may even aid in locomotion through vegetation. Some species are insectivorous burrowing animals, but others are adapted to moving through dense spinifex or other vegetation.

Shared gecko characteristics

The pygopodids and other geckos share a number of characteristics:

the production of parchment-shelled eggs in clutch sizes 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

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

Pygopodids can hear tones higher than any other reptiles. Individuals in the species Delma pax can respond to a 60-decibel sound with a frequency of 11,100 Hz, more than an octave above the highest note on a standard piano.[9]
Taxonomy
Pygopus lepidopodus

Pygopodidae is one of several taxonomic families of geckos, and is most closely related to two other Australian gecko families Carphodactylidae and Diplodactylidae.[5][6][4]
Classification

FAMILY PYGOPODIDAE

Subfamily Lialisinae
Tribe Lialisini
Genus Lialis (two species)
Subfamily Pygopodinae
Genus Delma (21 species)
Genus Paradelma (monotypic)
Genus Pygopus (five species)
Tribe Aprasiaini
Subtribe Aprasiaina
Genus Ophidiocephalus (monotypic)
Genus Aprasia (13 species)
Subtribe Pletholaxina
Genus Pletholax (2 species)

See also

Limbless vertebrates

References

"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. PMC 3384654. PMID 22761794.
Bauer, Aaron M. (1998). Cogger HG, Zweifel RG (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 150–152. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
Shea, Glenn. "Fauna of Australia: Family Pygopodidae" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
Patchell, 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. JSTOR 1444884.
Wilson, Steve (2003). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia. New Holland: Reed.
Wilson, 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. PMID 20472775. S2CID 17996056.