Breeding habits. 



Courtship and mating habits of h'zards are not well known. It is thought 

 that in the Amphibia these habits offer indieations as to the relationship of 

 species, and this presumably may also be true for lizards. Time and place 

 selected for egg-laying, length and temperature of incubation period, any brood' 

 ing of the eggs, and any indications of parental care should be recorded. The 

 old natural history books often show pictures of a lizard and her family, but 

 these were probably made from captive specimens where parent and offspring 

 had no choice but to stay together. 



OUTLINE OF CLASSIFICATION OF NATIVE LIZARDS 



AND CROCODILIANS 



Order LORICATA (or Crocodilm) (of Class REPTILIA) 



With two temporal openings on each side of skull, one above and one 

 below the squamosal-postorbital bar; ribs with uncinate processes; epi' 

 pubic bones present 

 Family CROCODYLIDAE Crocodilians 



Back covered with rows of bony plates; teeth peg-like, set in 

 sockets; bony palate extending to back of throat; quadrate bone 

 rigidly attached to skull 

 Two genera — Crocodylns ( 1 species) 

 Alligator (1 species) 

 Order SQUAMATA (of Class REPTILIA) 



With one temporal opening on each side, between parietal and the 

 squamosal-postorbital bar; with one occipital condyle; no uncinate pre 

 cesses on ribs; no epipubic bones 

 Suborder SAURIA Lizards 



Brain case not completely ossified in front; four limbs usually present 

 Family GEKKONIDAE Geckos 



Pupil vertical; eye covered by rigid, transparent eyelid; scales 

 minute; tail short and thick; digits usually widened into discs 

 Two genera — Phyllodactylus ( 1 species) 

 Coleonyx (2 species) 

 Family IGUANIDAE 



Head and body scales all small; teeth fused to inner edge of 

 jaw; tongue thick, not protractile 

 Thirteen genera — Anolis (2 species) 



Ctenosaura ( 1 species) 

 Dipsosaurus (1 species) 

 Crotaphytus (4 species) 



361 



