| Teiformata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Clade: | Lacertoidea |
| Clade: | Teiformata Vidal & Hedges, 20051 |
| Families2 | |
Teiformata is a clade of squamate reptiles within Lacertoidea that comprises the New World lizard families Gymnophthalmidae and Teiidae.2 The name was introduced in a molecular phylogenetic classification of squamates by Vidal and Hedges (2005).1
Taxonomy and systematics
Vidal and Hedges (2005) placed Teiformata within their higher-level grouping Laterata, alongside Lacertiformata and Amphisbaenia.1 In that scheme, Lacertiformata and Amphisbaenia were recovered together as Lacertibaenia, distinct from Teiformata within Laterata.1
Phylogeny
Large-scale molecular phylogenies have supported a lacertoidean clade containing Gymnophthalmidae and Teiidae.2 Within the same lacertoidean context, a separate clade uniting Lacertidae and Amphisbaenia has also been recovered, highlighting a major split among sampled lacertoidean lineages in these analyses.2
Distribution
Because both constituent families are New World groups, Teiformata is primarily an American clade in terms of the present-day distribution of its living members.2
References
References
- Vidal, Nicolas; Hedges, S. Blair (2005). "The phylogeny of squamate reptiles (lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians) inferred from nine nuclear protein-coding genes". Comptes Rendus Biologies. 328 (10–11): 1000–1008. doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2005.10.001. PMID 16286089. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
- Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T.; Wiens, John J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13 (1) 93. Bibcode:2013BMCEE..13...93P. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93. PMC 3682911. PMID 23627680.