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    BSC Zoology Part II Reptilia

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    yasahswi91
    - Reptiles are tetrapod vertebrates that are predominantly terrestrial and lay shelled eggs. They are distinguished from amphibians by having dry scaly skin and from mammals and birds by being ectothermic and laying eggs. - Reptiles are classified into five subclasses based on openings in the skull: anapsids without openings, and diapsids, euryapsids, parapsids, and synapsids with one or two openings on each side. Modern reptiles include turtles, tuataras, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. - Turtles have a shell made of fused bones that encases the body; tuataras have a single

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    BSC Zoology Part II Reptilia

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    - Reptiles are tetrapod vertebrates that are predominantly terrestrial and lay shelled eggs. They are distinguished from amphibians by having dry scaly skin and from mammals and birds by being ectothermic and laying eggs. - Reptiles are classified into five subclasses based on openings in the skull: anapsids without openings, and diapsids, euryapsids, parapsids, and synapsids with one or two openings on each side. Modern reptiles include turtles, tuataras, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. - Turtles have a shell made of fused bones that encases the body; tuataras have a single

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    BSc-Zoology-Part-II-Reptilia

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    - Reptiles are tetrapod vertebrates that are predominantly terrestrial and lay shelled eggs. They are distinguished from amphibians by having dry scaly skin and from mammals and birds by being ectothermic and laying eggs. - Reptiles are classified into five subclasses based on openings in the skull: anapsids without openings, and diapsids, euryapsids, parapsids, and synapsids with one or two openings on each side. Modern reptiles include turtles, tuataras, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. - Turtles have a shell made of fused bones that encases the body; tuataras have a single

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    112 views5 pages

    BSC Zoology Part II Reptilia

    Uploaded by

    yasahswi91
    - Reptiles are tetrapod vertebrates that are predominantly terrestrial and lay shelled eggs. They are distinguished from amphibians by having dry scaly skin and from mammals and birds by being ectothermic and laying eggs. - Reptiles are classified into five subclasses based on openings in the skull: anapsids without openings, and diapsids, euryapsids, parapsids, and synapsids with one or two openings on each side. Modern reptiles include turtles, tuataras, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. - Turtles have a shell made of fused bones that encases the body; tuataras have a single

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    of 5

    DR.

    RAJESH KUMAR

    BSc Zoology Part II


    CHARACTERS AND CLASSIFICATION OF CLASS REPTILIA
    General Characters:-
    Reptile represent the first class of vertebrates fully adapted for life in dry place
    on land. The characters of reptiles are in fact a combination of characters that are
    found in fish and amphibians on the one hand and in birds and mammals on the
    other. The class name refers to the mode of locomotion- (L; repere or reptum= to
    creep or crawl), and study reptiles is called Herpetology (Gr; herpeton= reptiles).
     Predominantly terrestrial, creeping or burrowing, mostly carnivorous, air
    breathing, cold blooded, oviparous and tetrapodal vertebrates.
     Body bilaterally symmetrical and divisible into 4 regions- head, neck, trunk
    and tail.
     Limbs 2 pairs, pentadactyle, digits provide with horny claws. However, limbs
    absent in a few lizards and all snakes.
     Exoskeleton of horny epidermal scales, shields, plates and scutes.
     Skin dry, cornified and devoid of glands.
     Mouth terminal, jaws bear simple conical teeth. In turtles teeth replaced by
    horny beak.
     Alimentary canal terminates into a cloacal aperture.
     Endoskeleton bony. Skull with occipital condyle (monocondylar). A
    characteristic T- shaped interclavical present.
     Heart usually 3 chambered, 4 chamberedin crocodiles. Sinus venosus reduced.
    2 systemic arches present. Red blood corpuscles oval and nucleated. Cold
    blooded (poikilothermal).
     Respiration by lungs throughout life.
     Kidneys metanephric. Excretion uricotelic.
     Brain with better development of cerebrum than in amphibia. Cranial nerves
    10 pairs.
     Lateral line system absent. Jacobson’s organs present in the roof of mouth.
     Sexes separate. Male usually with muscular copulatory organ.
     Fertilization internal. Mostly oviparous. Large yolky meroblastic eggs,
    covered with leathery shells, always laid on land.

    1
    DR. RAJESH KUMAR

     Embryonic membranes (amnion, chorion, yolk sac and allantois) appear


    during development.
     No metamorphosis. Young resembles adults.
     Parental care usually absent.
    Classification:-
     There are more than 7000 living and several extinct species of reptiles.
     The class reptilia is divided into 5 major groups or subclasses on the basis
    of presence or absence of certain openings through the posterolateral or
    temporal region of the skull.
    Subclass I: Anapsida
     Primitive reptiles with a solid skull roof.
     No temporal openings.
    Order 1: Chelonia or Testudinata
    (Gr; chelone= turtle, L; testudo= turtle)
     Body short, broad and oval.
     Limbs clawed and/or webbed, paddle-like.
     Body encased in a firm shell or dorsal carapace and ventral plastron, made of
    dermal bony plates.
     Thoracic vertebrae and ribs usually fused to carapace.
     Skull anapsid, with a single nasal opening and without a parietal, foramen.
    Quadrate is immovable.
     No sternum is found.
     Teeth absent.
     Jaws with horny sheaths.
     Cloacal aperture a longitudinal slit.
     Heart incompletely 4-chambered with a partly divided ventricle.
     Copulatory organ single and simple.
     About 400 species of marine turtles, fresh water terrapins and terrestrial
    tortoises.
    Example: Chelone, Chrysemys, Testudo, Tryonyx, Dermochelys.

    2
    DR. RAJESH KUMAR

    Subclass II: Euryapsida (Extinct)


     Skull with a single dorso-lateral temporal opening on either side, bounded
    below by postorbital and squamosal bones.

    Subclass III: Parapsida (Extinct)


     Skull with a single dorsolateral temporal opening on either side bounded
    below by the supratemporal and postfrontal bones.

    3
    DR. RAJESH KUMAR

    Subclass IV: Synapsida (Extinct)


     Skull with a single lateral temporal opening on either side bounded above by
    the postorbital and squamosal bones.

    Subclass V: Diapsida
    o Skull with two temporal openings on either side separated by the bar of
    postorbital and squamosal bones.

    Order 2: Rynchocephalia
    (L; rynchos= snout, Gr; kephale= head)
     Body small, elongated, lizard like.
     Limbs pentadactyle, clawed and burrowing.
     Skin covered by granular scales and a mid-dorsal row of spines.
     Skull diapsid. Nasal openings separate. Parietal foramen with vestigial pineal
    eye present. Quadrate is fixed.
     Vertebrae amphicoelous or biconcave. Numerous abdominal ribs present.
     Teeth acrodont. Cloacal aperture transverse.
     Heart incompletely 4-chambered.
    4
    DR. RAJESH KUMAR

     No copulatory organ in male.


    Example: Single living species “tuatara” or Sphenodon punctatum (New
    Zealand).
    Order 3: Squamata
    (L; squama= scale or squamatus= scaly)
     Advanced, small to medium, elongated.
     Limbs clawed, absent in snakes and few lizards.
     Exoskeleton of horny epidermal scales, shields and spines.
     Skull diapsid. Quadrate movable.
     Vertebrae procoelous. Ribs single-headed.
     Teeth acrodont or pleurodont.
     Heart incompletely 4-chambered.
     Cloacal aperture is transverse.
     Male with eversible double copulatory organs (hemipenis).
     About 6,800 species of lizards and snakes.
     These are divided in to 2 suborders-
    (i) Lacertilia (ii) Ophidia
    Example: Hemidactylus, Calotes, Uromastix, Varanus, Chameleon, Draco,
    Heloderma, Iguana, Ophisurus, Typhorps, Python, Boa, Lycodon, Eryx, Naja,
    Bungarus, Vipera, Hydrophis, Crotalus etc.
    Order 4: Crocodilia
    (Gr; krokodeilos= crocodile)
     Large sized, carnivorous and aquatic reptile.
     Tail long, strong and laterally compressed.
     Limbs short but powerful, clawed and webbed.
     Skin thick with scales bony plates and scutes.
     Skull diapsid. Quadrate immovable. No parietal foramen. A pseudopalate
    present.
     Ribs bicephalus. Abdominal ribs present.
     Teeth numerous, thecodont, lodged in socket.
     Heart completely 4-chambered.
     Cloacal aperture is longitudinal slit.
     Male with a median, erectile, grooved penis.
    Example: Crocodylus, Gavialis, Alligator.

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