Sphenodontia

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Sphenodonts
Fossil range: Triassic-Recent

Sphenodon

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Order:	Sphenodontia Williston, 1925

Families

Gephyrosauridae
Pleurosauridae
Sphenodontidae

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.

[edit] Taxonomy

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.

[edit] Classification

Classification follows Wu (1994), Evans et al. (2001), and Apesteguia & Novas (2003) [1].

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