Gobiguania

Gobiguania is an extinct clade of iguanian lizards from the Late Cretaceous. All known gobiguanians are endemic to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Gobiguania was given a phylogenetic definition by Jack Conrad and Mark Norell in 2007 as all taxa more closely related to Anchaurosaurus gilmorei than to Iguana iguana (the green iguana), Crotaphytus collaris (the common collared lizard), or Agama agama (the common agama). According to Conrad and Norell's phylogenetic analysis, Gobiguania includes Anchaurosaurus as well as several other Late Cretaceous lizards such as Ctenomastax, Temujinia, Saichangurvel, and Zapsosaurus.^[1] A phylogenetic analysis published in 2012 indicated that three other lizard genera — Igua, Isodontosaurus, and Polrussia, all from Mongolia and all from the Late Cretaceous — are also gobiguanians. Below is a cladogram from the analysis:^[2]

Iguania

†Hoyalacerta sanzi †Huehuecuetzpalli mixtecus †Pristiguana brasiliensis Chamaeleontiformes †Priscagamidae Acrodonta Iguanoidea (=Pleurodonta) Silvaiguana Hoplocercidae Polychrotidae †Gobiguania †Polrussia mongoliensis †Igua minuta †Isodontosaurus gracilis †Anchaurosaurus gilmorei †Zapsosaurus sceliphros †Saichangurvel davidsoni †Temujinia ellisoni †Ctenomastax parva Euiguana Corytophanidae Terraiguana Iguanidae Crotaphytidae Phrynosomatidae Opluridae †Uquiasaurus Liolaemidae Leiocephalus Tropiduridae

Gobiguania Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 84.9–70.6 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Igua minuta
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Clade:	Pleurodonta
Clade:	†Gobiguania Conrad and Norell, 2007
Genera
†Anchaurosaurus †Ctenomastax †Igua †Isodontosaurus †Polrussia †Saichangurvel †Temujinia †Zapsosaurus

References

1. Conrad, J. L.; Norell, M. A. (2007). "A Complete Late Cretaceous Iguanian (Squamata, Reptilia) from the Gobi and Identification of a New Iguanian Clade". American Museum Novitates (3584): 1. doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3584[1:ACLCIS]2.0.CO;2. hdl:2246/5877. S2CID 83407564.
2. Daza, J. D.; Abdala, V.; Arias, J. S.; García-López, D.; Ortiz, P. (2012). "Cladistic Analysis of Iguania and a Fossil Lizard from the Late Pliocene of Northwestern Argentina". Journal of Herpetology. 46: 104–119. doi:10.1670/10-112. hdl:11336/61054. S2CID 85405843.