Lepidosauriaとは 意味・読み方・使い方

The Lepidosauria (from Greek meaning scaled lizards) are reptiles with overlapping scales. This subclass includes Squamata and Sphenodontidae. It is a monophyletic group and therefore contains all descendents of a common ancestor. The squamata includes snakes, lizards, tuataras, and amphisbaenia. Lepidosauria is the sister taxon to Archosauria, which includes Aves and Crocodilia. The only surviving tuataras are the family Sphenodontidae, genus Sphenodon. Lizards and snakes are the most speciose group of Lepidosaurs and combined contain about 7,970 species. However, the tuatara, which is found in New Zealand, has only two remaining species. There are noticeable distinguishing morphological differences between lizards, tuataras, and snakes.