Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Global diversity of lizards in freshwater (Reptilia: Lacertilia)

  • FRESHWATER ANIMAL DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

No lizards are strictly aquatic, but at least 73 species in 11 different families can be considered to regularly utilize freshwater habitats. There are no aquatic lizards in the Nearctic or Palearctic regions, whereas the Neotropics, Southeast Asia, and the Indo-Australian Archipelago support the greatest diversity of freshwater forms, particularly in the families Gymnophthalmidae, Scincidae and Varanidae. A number of larger aquatic lizards are harvested for food and for the reptile skin trade and several are CITES listed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avila-Pires, T. C. S., 1995. Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata). Zoologische Verhandelingen 299: 1–706.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bedford, G. S. & K. A. Christian, 1996. Tail morphology related to habitat of varanid lizards and some other reptiles. Amphibia–Reptilia 17: 131–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beebe, W., 1945. Field notes on the lizards of Kartabo, British Guiana and Caripito, Venezuela. Part 3. Teiidae, Amphisbaenidae and Scincidae. Zoologica (New York) 30: 7–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanc, C. P., 1967. Notes sur les Gerrhosaurinae de Madagascar, I. - Observations sur Zonosaurus maximus, Boulenger, 1896. Annales de l’Université de Madagascar (Sciences) 5: 107–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Böhme, W., A. Schmitz & T. Ziegler, 2000. A review of the West African skink genus Cophoscincopus Mertens (Reptilia: Scincidae: Lygosominae): resurrection of C. simulans (Vaillant, 1884) and description of a new species. Revue suisse de Zoologie 107: 777–791.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daniels, C. B., 1987. Aspects of the aquatic feeding ecology of the riparian skink Sphenomorphus quoyii. Australian Journal of Zoology 35: 253–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darevsky, I. S., N. L. Orlov & TC Ho, 2004. Two new lygosomine skinks of the genus Sphenomorphus Fitzinger, 1843 (Sauria, Scincidae) from northern Vietnam. Russian Journal of Herpetology 11: 111–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Buffrénil, V., 1993. Les Varans Africains (Varanus niloticus et Varanus exanthematicus). Données de Synthèse sur leur Biologie et leur Exploitation. Secrétariat CITES, Genève.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doan, T. M. & T. A. Castoe, 2005. Phylogenetic taxonomy of the Cercosaurini (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae), with new genera for species of Neusticurus and Proctoporus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 143: 405–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glaw, F. & M. Vences, 1994. A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, second edition. M. Vences & F. Glaw Verlags GbR, Köln.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greer, A. E., 1989. The Biology & Evolution of Australian Lizards. Surrey Beatty & Sons Pty. Ltd., Chipping Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Honda, M., H. Ota, R. W. Murphy & T. Hikida, 2006. Phylogeny and biogeography of water skinks of the genus Tropidophorus (Reptilia: Scincidae): A molecular approach. Zoologica Scripta 35: 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howland, J. M., L. J. Vitt & P. T. Lopez, 1990. Life of the edge: The ecology and life history of the tropidurine iguanid lizard Uranoscodon superciliosum. Canadian Journal of Zoology 68: 1366–1373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Khac Q. & T. Ziegler, 2003. First record of the Chinese crocodile lizard from outside of China: Report on a population of Shinisaurus crocodilurus Ahl, 1930 from north-eastern Vietnam. Hamadryad 27: 193–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leal, M., A. K. Knox & J. B. Losos, 2002. Lack of convergence in aquatic Anolis lizards. Evolution 56: 785–791.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M. S., 2005. Squamate phylogeny, taxon sampling, and data congruence. Organisms, Diversity & Evolution 5: 25–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luke, C., 1986. Convergent evolution of lizard toe fringes. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 27: 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luxmoore, R. & B. Groombridge, 1990. Asian Monitor Lizards: A Review of Distribution, Status, Exploitaion and Trade in Four Selected Species. Secrétariat CITES, Lausanne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mägdefrau, H., 1987. Zur Situation der Chinesischen Krokodilschwanz-Höckerechse, Shinisaurus crocodilurus Ahl, 1930. Herpetofauna 51: 6–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pianka, E. R. & L. J. Vitt, 2003. Lizards, Windows to the Evolution of Diversity. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shine, R., 1986. Diets and abundances of aquatic and semi-aquatic reptiles in the Alligator Rivers region. Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region Technical Memorandum 16: 1–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sprackland, G. B., 1972. A summary of observations of the earless monitor, Lanthanotus borneensis. Sarawak Museum Journal 20: 323–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, T. M., A. Larson, E. Louis & J. R. Macey, 2004. Molecular phylogenetics of Squamata: the position of snakes, amphisbaenians, and dibamids, and the root of the squamate tree. Systematic Biology 53: 735–757.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vitt, L. J. & T. C. S. Avila-Pires, 1998. Ecology of two sympatric species of Neusticurus (Sauria: Gymnophthalmidae) in the western Amazon of Brazil. Copeia 1998: 570–582.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vitt, L. J., E. R. Pianka, W. E. Cooper Jr. & K. Schwenk, 2003. History and global ecology of squamate reptiles. The American Naturalist 162: 44–60.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA, 19085, USA

    Aaron M. Bauer & Todd Jackman

Authors
  1. Aaron M. Bauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Todd Jackman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aaron M. Bauer.

Additional information

Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers & K. Martens

Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bauer, A.M., Jackman, T. Global diversity of lizards in freshwater (Reptilia: Lacertilia). Hydrobiologia 595, 581–586 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9115-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-007-9115-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation