Terminology and Concepts in Herpetology

These flashcards cover essential terms and concepts related to herpetology, focusing on amphibians, reptiles, their anatomy, reproduction, and ecological behaviors.

Amphibia

Greek for 'both life'; includes frogs.

Gymnophiona

Greek for 'naked snake'; includes caecilians.

Urodela

Greek for 'visible tail'; includes salamanders.

Anura

Greek for 'without tail'; includes frogs.

Squamata

Latin for 'scaly'; includes lizards and snakes.

Lepidosauria

Greek for 'scale lizard'; includes tuataras.

Tetrapoda

Greek for 'four feet'; includes amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals.

Amniota

Greek for 'membrane'; includes reptiles, birds, mammals.

Synapsid

One temporal opening in the skull; example: mammal-like reptiles.

Anapsid

No temporal openings in the skull; example: turtles.

Diapsid

Two temporal openings in the skull; example: lizards, snakes, birds.

Suction Pump

Negative pressure lung ventilation mechanism; example: mammals.

Force Pump

Positive pressure lung ventilation mechanism; example: amphibians.

Systemic Circulation

Body-wide oxygen transport in the circulatory system.

Pulmonary Circulation

Blood flow between heart and lungs.

Parthenogenetic

Asexual reproduction without fertilization; example: whiptail lizards.

Circadian

Daily biological cycles; example: sleep-wake cycles.

Explosive Breeding

Short, intense breeding period; example: spadefoot toads.

Direct Development

Development without a larval stage; example: some frogs.

Oviparous

Egg-laying reproductive strategy; example: turtles.

Proteroglyph

Fixed front fangs in snakes; example: cobras.

Pleurodont

Teeth fused to the inner jaw; example: iguanas.

Homodont

Same-shaped teeth; example: snakes.

Axillary Amplexus

Male grips female under the arms in frogs.

Sidewinding

A type of snake locomotion used in deserts.

concertina

A type of locomotion used by snakes where the body is alternately compressed and extended to move through tight spaces.

rectilinear movement

A form of locomotion in snakes that involves stretching and contracting segments of the body to move in a straight line.

horizontal undulations

A method of locomotion in which snakes move by lateral bending and body waves, resulting in a sideways motion.

acrodont

teeth attached to jaw surface chameleons

thecodont

teeth set in sockets eg crocodilies

solenoglyph

hinged fangs eg vipers

opisthoglyph

rear fanged eg boomslangs

viviparous

live birth

heterodont

different shaped teeth

inguinal amplexus

male grips female around waist

circannual

yearly cycles example migration

prolonged breeding

extented mating season example bullfrogs

sit and wait

stationary ambush chameleons

cruising

actively searching monitors

widely foraging

covering large areas