Reptilia Flashcards
Characteristics of clade Amniota
-amniotic egg
-dry skin with epidermal scales
-digits ending in claws
-internal fertilization, males typically with penis
-direct development, no larval forms
-no external gills, respiration via lungs
-ribs usually connected ventrally
Single occipital condyle
What is the primary advantage of amniote eggs
It allows them to loose their ties to standing water; don’t need to lay eggs in the water
Characteristics of order testudines
-anapsid skull
-body encased in a shell: dorsal carapace and ventral plastron
-pectoral and pelvic girdles are inside the rib cage
-toothless: keratinized cutting edge/beak
What animals are in order testudines
Turtles
Characteristics of order sphenodonta
-two living species in new Zealand
-well developed parietal eye
-gastralia
-uncinate ribs
-teeth in palatine bone (two rows of teeth in upper jaw)
-no tympanum/middle ear
Characteristics of order squamata
-loss of quadratojugal arch
-kinetic skulls
-males with paired copulatory organs
-two modes of tooth attachment: acrodont|irreplaceable, pleurodont|replaceable
-caudal autotomy
-skin is shed
What animals are in order squamata
Lizards, snakes
Characteristics of order crocodalia
-nostrils at tip of snout
-heavy dorsal osteoderms
-laterally compressed tail
-complete secondary palate
-gizzard
-foramen of panizza
-complex courtship and maternal care
What animals are in order crocodalia
Alligators, crocodiles
Parts of an amniotic egg
-chorion-gas exchange
-allantois-waste storage/gas exchange
-yolk sac-nutrients
-amnion-protectiom from desiccation and shock