Sphenodontia is an order of lizard-like reptiles that includes only one living genus, the tuatara (Sphenodon). Despite its current lack of diversity, the Sphenodontia at one time included a wide array of genera in several families, and represents a lineage stretching back to the Mesozoic Era.

Taxonomy

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Sphenodontia, once a wastebin taxon containing a diverse array of unrelated reptiles (notably the rhynchosaurs), today consists of three families--The possibly paraphyletic Gephyrosauridae, the Pleurosauridae, and the Sphenodontidae. Sphenodontidae is the family which contains all modern tuatara, as well as a number of extinct subfamilies.

Classification

Classification follows Wu (1994), Evans et al. (2001), and Apesteguia & Novas (2003) ^*.

• Order SPHENODONTIA
  • Family Gephyrosauridae
    • Gephyrosaurus
    • Diphydontosaurus
  • Family Pleurosauridae
    • Palaeopleurosaurus
    • Pleurosaurus
  • Family Sphenodontidae
    • Colognathus
    • Godavarisaurus
    • Kawasphenodon
    • Leptosaurus
    • Pelecymela
    • Piocormus
    • Sigmala
    • Theretairus
    • Tingitana
    • Rebbanasaurus
    • Planocephalosaurus
    • Polysphenodon
    • Brachyrhinodon
    • Clevosaurus
    • Subfamily Sphenodontinae
      • Homoeosaurus
      • Kallimodon
      • Sapheosaurus
      • Ankylosphenodon
      • Pamizinsaurus
      • Zapatadon
      • Tribe Sphenodontini
        • Cynosphenodon
        • Sphenodon (tuatara)
      • (unranked) Opisthodontia
        • Opisthias
        • Tribe Eilenodontini
          • Toxolophosaurus
          • Priosphenodon
          • Eilenodon

Squamata

מחודקי ראש | Sphenodontia