Iguanidae

Classification

Several classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. The "historical" classification recognized all New World iguanians, plus Brachylophus and the Madagascar oplurines, as informal groups and not as formal subfamilies.

Frost and Etheridge (1989) formally recognized these informal groupings as families. This view is not generally accepted.

Macey et al., (1997) in their analysis of molecular data for iguanian lizards recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae and formally recognized the eight families proposed by Frost and Etheridge (1989) as subfamilies of Iguanidae.

Schulte et al., (2003) reanalyzed the morphological data of Frost and Etheridge in combination with molecular data for all major groups of Iguanidae and recovered a monophyletic Iguanidae, but the subfamilies Polychrotinae and Tropidurinae were not monophyletic. The phylogenetic classification of Iguania from this work is the current and most generally accepted classification of iguanid lizards.

Historical classification

Family Iguanidae

Frost et al., (1989) classification of iguanas

Family Corytophanidae
Family Crotaphytidae
Family Hoplocercidae
Family Iguanidae

Family Opluridae
Family Phrynosomatidae
Family Polychridae
Family Tropiduridae

Macey et al., (1997) classification of Iguanidae

Family Iguanidae

Schulte et al., (2003) classification of Iguanidae

Here families and subfamilies are proposed as clade names, but may be recognized under the traditional Linnean nomenclature.

Iguanidae