Acrodonta Estes et al., 1988

Conrad, J. L., 2008, Phylogeny And Systematics Of Squamata (Reptilia) Based On Morphology, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2008 (310), pp. 1-182 : 92

Acrodonta Estes et al., 1988

(figs. 54A, 55A, 56A)

DEFINITION: This taxon is defined here as all descendants of the last common ancestor

of all extant taxa more closely related to Agama agama and Chamaeleo chamaeleon than to Gekko gecko , Varanus varius , Hoplocercus spinosus , Corytophanes cristatus , Polychrus marmoratus , or Iguana iguana . This is in keeping with the definition originally proposed by Estes et al. (1988), who defined Acrodonta as all a node attached to their metataxon Agamidae * and the clade Chamaeleonidae .

DIAGNOSIS: The acrodontans included in this analysis are united by five unambiguous synapomorphies. These are 14(2) a bilobed premaxillary incisive process, 182(1) absence of a dentary shelf, 188(1) absence of a splenial, 261(0) straight (non-angulated) clavicle, and 272(1) a sternum that extends anteriorly, approaching the lateral arms of the interclavicle.

COMMENTS: Acrodonta here is scored from only a few species (two chamaeleonids and three ‘‘agamids’’). Future versions of this data matrix will sample more broadly from within acrodontans and analyze the apparent paraphyly of the ‘‘agamids’’ recovered here.