Order Squamata
Suborder Sauria

Family Corytophanidae (Casque-headed Lizards)

sensu Frost & Etheridge (1989)

Corytophanid lizards are defined by the following characters (after Frost & Etheridge, 1989):

(1) maxillae not meeting anteromedially behind palatal portion of premaxilla; (2) lacrimal foramen not enlarged; (3) skull roof not strongly rugose, except in Laemanctus; (4) jugal and squamosal broadly juxtaposed in Corytophanes and Laemanctus; (5) parietal roof Y-shaped with median crest formed postembryonically in Basiliscus , embryonically in Corytophanes and Laemanctus; (6) parietal foramen in frontal (parietal formen absent in Laemanctus); (7) supratemporal sits on lateral sitde of supratemproal process of parietal; (8) nuchal endolymphatic sacs do not penetrate nuchal musculature; (9) dentary not expanded onto labial face of coronoid; (10) no labial blade of coronoid; (11) anterior surangular foramen superior to posteriormost extent of dentary; (12) Meckel's groove fused (except in some Basiliscus); (13) splenial relatively short (Corytophanes) or long (Basiliscus and Laemanctus) anteriorly; (14) dentary and maxillary teeth pleurodont, not fused to underlying bone in adults; (15) palatine teeth absent; (16) pterygoid teeth present; (17) posterior process of interclavicle not invested by sternum far anteriorly; (18) caudal autotomy fracture plane present (except in Laemanctus), with transverse processes weak or absent; (19) posterior coracoid fenestra present; (20) sternal fontanelles very small or absent; (21) sternal ribs: 4; (22) postxiphisternal inscriptional ribs short; (23) interparietal scale not enlarged; (24) median dorsal scale row enlarged; (25) gular fold complete medially; (26) femoral pores absent; (27) spinulate scale organs absent; (28) nasal apparatus primitive; nasal vestibule short, simple, concha present, free; (29) hemipenes unicapitate, unisulcate; (30) colic septa absent.

Related taxa: see the tree of iguanid lizards for relationships to other families.

List of Genera:

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References:

Böhme, W. (1975)
Indizien für natürliche Parthenogenese beim Helmbasilisken, Basiliscus basiliscus (Linnaeus 1758).
Salamandra 11: 77-83

Frost,D.E. & Etheridge,R.E. (1989)
A Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomy of Iguanian Lizards (Reptilia: Squamata)
Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist. Misc. Publ. 81

Lang,M. (1989)
Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Patterns of Basiliscine Iguanians
(Reptilia: Squamata: "Iguanidae")
Bonner Zool. Monograph. 28; 172 pp.

Maturana, H. R. (1962)
A study of the species of the genus Basiliscus.
Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. No. 128, 34 pp.

McCOY, C. J. (1968)
A review of the genus Laemanctus (Reptilia: Iguanidae).
Copeia 1968: 665-78.

Vieira, G. H. C., Colli, G. R. & Báo, S. N. (2005)
Phylogenetic relationships of corytophanid lizards (Iguania, Squamata, Reptilia) based on partitioned and total evidence analyses of sperm morphology, gross morphology, and DNA data.
Zoologica Scripta 34 (6): 605-625.