Mikey

Question 1

Four orders of reptilia in straya (plus NZ)

Answer 1

Crocs (2 species found in Oz), Turtles (22 sp in Oz), Squamates (801 species), Tuatara (dragony lizard things) in NZ

Question 2

Difference between systematics, taxonomy, phylogeny

Answer 2

Taxon - gives names
Phylog - gives evolutionary history
System - combination of both

Question 3

Common feature of archosaur group

Answer 3

Birds + Crocs - hard shelled egg

Question 4

How old are crocs, where are they distributed and how are they different to alligators?
2 species?

Answer 4

240 mil years
Tropical 
Rounded head and fourth tooth protuding 
freshies - johnstoni
salties - porosus

Question 5

Differece between turtles vs tortoises

Answer 5

Turtles - web feet Tortoise - Club feet (no tortoises in oz)

Question 6

2 families of freshwater turtles?

2 Families of salties?

Answer 6

Chelidae - side necked turtles
carettochelydidae - pitted shell turtle

Cheloniidae - green/loggerhead/hawksbill turtle
Dermochelyidae - Leatherback turtle

Question 7

Lizard families of Oz

Answer 7

Gekkonidae
Pygopodidae (legless)
Scincidae (skinks)
Agamidae (dragons)
Goannas (Varanidae)

Question 8

Gekko facts?

Answer 8

Nocturnal
110 sp in oz
tail autotomy (drop tails)
Vocal
Varying feet structure (some sticky by tiny hairs!)

Question 9

Subfams of gecko

Answer 9

Banded gekkos (eublopharinae - only in North America oldest)
Knob tails/leaf tails/chameleon - Carphodactynilae
Spiny tails- Diplodactylinae
Gekkoninae

Question 10

Example of derived character uniting gekkos except eublopharinae and not found in ‘outgroups’ (blue tongued lizard for example)

Answer 10

Fixed spectacle (no moving eyelid)
Also known as synapomorphy

Question 11

Example of derived character uniting only carpho and diplo

Answer 11

More scalloped pupil in eye

Question 12

Unique Feature of gekkoninae

synapomorphy of all geckos

Answer 12

Hard Shelled egg (autapomorphy)

Clutch of only 2 eggs

Question 13

Pygopodidae

Answer 13

Tail droppers
Only found in Oz and PNG
34 species
Insectivores

Question 14

5 diffs between snake and pygopodidae

Answer 14

Have leg flaps (leftover from full legs)
Longer tails with increased vertebrae number than snake
Can vocalise
Have ears
Tongue is fleshy (Snake has forked)

Question 15

Evolutionary history of pygopodidae?

Answer 15

Non - monophyletic group (paraphyletic)

Specialised gecko from carphodactylinae

Question 16

Scincidae sp number and common features?

Answer 16

365 species
autotomy
lives in top layer of soil
eyelids sometimes sealed over with a window (halfway between lizard and gecko)

Question 17

Why is the pygmy blue tongue interesting?

Answer 17

Was thought to be extinct in 1950 then rediscoveres in a snake stomach!
Also their tongues are UV

Question 18

What do fossorial skinks show?

Answer 18

(burrowing) The lack of limbs as lizards evolved to not need them

Question 19

Features of Agamidae

Answer 19

Dragons 65 sp.
sit and wait, fast-moving
Can change colours/visual displays

Question 20

Who is Mungoon-Gali?

Answer 20

Megalania Prisca
Giant goanna around 5.5 m long
Poisonous bite part of megafauna
In aboriginal culture

Question 21

Why are the lizards considered a paraphyletic group?

Answer 21

Becauses serpientes (snakes) have evolved from and within the snakes.