Species Of Liolaemus Research Articles

Three New Lizard Species of the Liolaemus montanus Group from Perú

Three new species of Liolaemus belonging to the L. montanus group are described from Perú. Two new species are restricted to the Ica and Moquegua departments on the Pacific coast, and one new species is only known from an isolated highland in Ayacucho department. These three new species differ from closely related species in their coloration patterns and head shape. We comment on the conservation issues of the new species and other Peruvian species of the L. montanus group.

Lizards in the mist: Thermal niches constrained by habitat and microclimates in the Andes of southern Bolivia

AIM: To understand how the activity budgets of ectotherms vary in mountain areas with high microclimatic and habitat heterogeneity, and how these factors together with habitat modulate the assemblage of ectotherm communities. LOCATION: Tajzara Basin, Cordillera de Sama (3,600–4,300 m a.s.l.), Department of Tarija, Bolivia. TAXON: Four lizard species of the genus Liolaemus. METHODS: After parameterizing the thermal physiology of each species and recording operative temperature time series with dataloggers, we calculated activity budgets for every species across 30 sampling sites. By multimodel inference we evaluated how activity budgets varied across the topography. We also assessed how abundances of each species were predicted by activity budgets, restriction time, temperature deviation, habitat covers and exposure to cold microclimate. RESULTS: Activity budgets were not only influenced by elevation but also by the exposure to cold air that comes through saddles from the eastern side of the mountain divide. Although thermal physiological parameters were relatively similar among the species, their abundances were conditioned to different extents by activity budgets, habitat and microclimates. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: The abundance and distribution of each species across these lizard communities reflect the microclimatic heterogeneity originated by complex topography, which uncouples activity budgets from elevation. Only one species was confined to cold microclimate refugia with higher exposure to Fohn effect. Despite having a relatively similar thermal aspect of fundamental niches, lizards may differ in their realized niches by habitat selection. Habitat specialization could compromise the persistence of some species under global warming by reducing the dispersal possibilities to certain areas where population sustainability might be impaired in the long term. Understanding the heterogeneity of microclimates and habitats and the physiology of the species partially explains their distribution at local scale, and provides insights on how to best confront upcoming climate change effects.

Liolaemus jamesi (Boulenger, 1891): restriction of the type locality and holotypecharacterization (Squamata: Liolaemidae).

Liolaemus is one of the most diverse genus of lizards in the world (Esquerré et al. 2013), with 257 species listed in the last review focusing on its diversity (Abdala Quinteros 2014). Certain species within this genus, especially the earlier ones, were described in very little detail, even lacking an appropriate description of the holotype and/or type locality. This has created uncertainties in the taxonomic identity of several Liolaemus species (Espinoza et al. 2011; Quinteros et al. 2008; Troncoso-Palacios Garin 2013; Langstroth 2011).

A new species of the Liolaemus elongatus group (Iguania: Liolaemidae)from Neuquén Province, Argentina, with comments on its genital morphology

The genus Liolaemus includes small and medium size lizards distributed in South America. It is the second-most diverse iguanian group in the world. The genus is divided in two subgenera, and many taxonomic subgroups have been proposed within these. Here, we describe a new species of Liolaemus , of the L. elongatus group. The new taxon is distributed in the vicinity of L. burmeisteri , L. crandalli , L. gununakuna , L. punmahuida and L. tregenzai , but it can be distinguished from them and from all other species of the group by a combination of lepidosis and morphometrical character states. The morphological evidence shows strong support that the population under study corresponds to a new taxon. With the description of the new species, the number of members of the L. elongatus group rises to twenty-two, but many populations still correspond to undescribed species.

Tracking down the lizards from Gravenhorst's collection at the University of Wrocław: type specimens of Callopistes maculatus Gravenhorst, 1838 and three Liolaemus species rediscovered.

Johann Ludwig Christian Gravenhorst’s herpetological collection at the Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocław included numerous important specimens of amphibians and reptiles. The majority, if not the entirety, of this collection has long been thought to be lost. However, we were able to rediscover some type specimens of lizards. The rediscovered specimens include the holotypes of Liolaemus conspersus and L. hieroglyphicus, one syntype of Callopistes maculatus (here designated as the lectotype) and two syntypes of L. lineatus (one of which is herein designated as the lectotype). Reexamination of these specimens indicates that previous synonymies proposed for L. conspersus and two syntypes of L. hieroglyphicus are problematic; furthermore, more complex taxonomic work is needed to resolve this issue. Two rediscovered syntypes of L. lineatus differ in several scalation traits and are possibly not conspecific. The type specimens of several other species of lizards from Gravenhorst’s collection (Liolaemus marmoratus, L. unicolor and two other syntypes of L. lineatus, Leiocephalus schreibersii and Chalcides viridanus) were not found and are probably lost.

The shadow of the past: Convergence of young and old South American desert lizards as measured by head shape traits.

Convergence is a pervasive phenomenon in the Tree of Life, and evolution of similar phenotypes sharing the same environmental conditions is expected in phylogenetically closely related species. In contrast, contingent factors are probably more influential in shaping phenotypic diversity for distantly related taxa. Here, we test putative convergent evolution of lizard head morphologies among relatively closely related desert dwelling Liolaemus species, and the very distantly related Ctenoblepharys adspersa. We estimated a multilocus time‐calibrated phylogeny of 57 species of South American liolaemus lizards, based on seven molecular markers. We collected head shape data for 468 specimens, and used three phylogenetic comparative methods (SURFACE, CONVEVOL, and WHEATSHEAF index) to test for and estimate the strength of convergence. We found strong evidence for convergence among Pacific desert lizard C. adspersa, Liolaemus audivetulatus, Liolaemus insolitus, Liolaemus poconchilensis, Liolaemus stolzmanni, and a candidate species (Liolaemus “Moquegua”). Our results suggest that, despite the long divergence and phylogenetic distance of C. adspersa with respect to convergent Liolaemus species, natural selection was probably more important than historical contingency in shaping phenotypic evolution in these desert lizards.

Seasonal shifts in the thermal biology of the lizard Liolaemus tandiliensis (Squamata, Liolaemidae)

Small lizards can accommodate to constraints imposed by temporal changes in ambient temperature through a combination of adaptive evolution and behavioral and physiological plasticity. Thermal physiology plasticity may compensate for climate variation and favor performance while minimizing behavioral costs in sub-optimal conditions. The Tandilia's lizard, Liolaemus tandiliensis, occurs in an isolated mountain range of the Argentinean temperate Pampas. In this study, we compared the thermal biology of L. tandiliensis between late spring (December) and mid-summer (February). The habitats’ thermal quality was lower in late spring than in mid-summer. The lizard's field-body temperature (Tb) was 2–3 °C higher than the operative temperature (Te). Overall, the mean preferred temperature (Tsel) was 37.4 °C [preferred range (Tset): 36.2–38.7 °C], and was similar to other Liolaemus species. The Tset and Tsel of females in late spring were 1.8 °C lower than in mid-summer. In the case of males, the Tsel did not vary among seasons, while the Tset had a difference of 2.5 °C between seasons. Adults were moderate thermoregulators, but females were more efficient only in late spring (Emales = 0.69; Efemales = 0.58), compared to mid-summer (Emales = 0.68; Efemales = 0.50). Juveniles did not show temporal differences in temperature preferences and had a relatively higher efficiency in late spring (E = 0.38) compared to mid-summer (E = 0.28). An increased proportion of juveniles and adults shifted their Tb near to the Tset in late spring respect to mid-summer. The adults also matched their preferred temperatures to their current body temperature. These results suggest that seasonal shifts in the thermoregulatory parameters of L. tandiliensis may improve their thermoregulatory efficiency. Although temporal variation in ambient temperatures might influence the thermal biology of the studied lizards, other factors such as changes in the reproductive status may have also interfered.

A new species of the Liolaemus alticolor-bibronii group (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from East-central Argentina.

We describe a new species of Liolaemus of the L. alticolor-bibronii group of the subgenus Liolaemus sensu stricto. We studied meristic, morphometric and qualitative pattern characters. Statistical tests were performed in order to evaluate morphological differences among the candidate species and the most closely geographically distributed species. Molecular analyses of Cyt-b mitochondrial gene were performed in order to estimate the position of the new species in relation to other taxa. We also recorded natural history data such as habitat, behavior, reproductive state, diet, and body temperature. Liolaemus absconditus sp. nov. differs from other species of Liolaemus in presenting a distinct combination of morphological character states of lepidosis and color pattern, being phylogenetically close to Liolaemus tandiliensis, Liolaemus gracilis and Liolaemus saxatilis. The new species is a saxicolous and endemic lizard of the Tandilia Mountain Range System of Buenos Aires Province.

Evolution of the cloacal and genital musculature, and the genitalia morphology in liolemid lizards (Iguania: Liolaemidae) with remarks on their phylogenetic bearing

In this study, we describe the intra- and interspecific anatomical variations of cloacal and related muscles of male and female genitalia in species of five iguanian genera (three liolemid: Ctenoblepharys, Liolaemus, and Phymaturus plus Diplolaemus leopardinus and Tropidurus melanopleurus as outgroups). We found variations (seventeen characters) in topology, origin and insertion areas, tendon morphology and size of the musculature of this region. We also describe the variations of hemipeneal morphology, which is especially notable for the hemipenis of C. adspersa, D. leopardinus, and T. melanopleurus, as this is first time they are described in the literature. Among the most significant findings are the identification of three new muscles, two of them inserted on the roof of the cloacal chamber (anterior and posterior cloacal retractor) and the third inserted superficially in the floor of the cloaca, just before anterior to the precloacal glands row (superficialis cloacalis retractor). We report sexual dimorphism in seven muscle characters. Musculature related to hemiclitoris is reduced in proportion to its size in comparison to the degree of development of male genitalia and associated musculature. The evolution of characters was traced on the known phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships among families. Characters taken from the cloacal/genital myology bring similar support to the liolaemid tree even rooting the analysis using different outgroups. In addition, a phylogenetic study using only myological characters was performed. In this case, C. adspersa was found to be more related to Liolaemus species instead of being basal to Liolaemus plus Phymaturus.

Behavioral compensation buffers body temperatures of two Liolaemus lizards under contrasting environments from the temperate Pampas: a Bogert effect?

Postural adjustments and microhabitat selection are two behavioral mechanisms that lizards extensively use to regulate their body temperatures. The Bogert effect occurs when behavioral thermoregulation buffers potential changes in body temperatures of congeneric organisms due to environmental variation, in turn precluding physiological evolution. We compared field body temperatures (Tb) and behavioral thermoregulation traits between two Liolaemus lizards: the saxicolous Liolaemus tandiliensis and the arenicolous Liolaemus wiegmannii. These species are spatially segregated in two thermally contrasting environments from the SE of the temperate Pampas of Argentina. During summer, the mean operative temperature (Te) of the coastal sand dunes occupied by L. wiegmannii was 9 ºC higher than that of the Tandilia mountains inhabited by L. tandiliensis. Despite the contrasting thermal conditions of both habitats, the mean Tb of L. tandiliensis (34.72 °C) was similar to that of L. wiegmannii (35.01 °C). The behavioral thermoregulation mechanisms varied considerably between both species. Liolaemus tandiliensis combined static body posture with displacements towards sunlit areas. In contrast, L. wiegmannii combined elevated and prostrated body postures with movements towards full and filtered sun patches. Environmental gradients offer diverse challenges impelling lizards to find different behavioral thermoregulation adaptations in order to partially cope with environmental constraints. This occurs in many species of Liolaemus that are thermoregulatory efficient despite of the climatic adversities. In this study, two species of Liolaemus used different postural and microhabitat path-selection strategies according to climate, allowing them to buffer changes in Tb, thus suggesting that the Bogert effect may be occurring in these two species.

A new species of lizard of the L. wiegmannii group (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from the Uruguayan Savanna

Lizards of the Liolaemus wiegmannii group comprise 11 species that are widely distributed east of the Andes, occurring in Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. Here we analyzed a population of the genus Liolaemus, found in the Pampa region of Uruguay, on isolated sand dunes along the Tacuarembó River. We conducted biometric, meristic, and genetic comparisons between this population and other populations of L. weigmannii from Argentina and Uruguay, and the other species of the L. weigmannii complex. Our morphological and genetic analyses showed that this population represents to a new species of the genus Liolaemus, belonging to the L. wiegmannii group. To date, its known distribution is extremely restricted.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses reveal the importance of taxon sampling in cryptic diversity: Liolaemus nigroviridis and L. monticola (Liolaeminae) as focal species

BackgroundMitochondrial markers are widely used as a first approach in determining evolutionary relationships among vertebrate taxa at different hierarchical scales. Cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase I are among the most common markers; they are particularly useful in phylogeography and species delineation studies. Simulation and empirical studies show that increasing the taxon sampling has a clear and strong effect on the accuracy of the inferred trees and therefore on hypothesized phylogenetic relationships (and eventually in new taxonomic rearrangements); this should be considered in the design of studies. The lizard genus Liolaemus is widely distributed in southern South America and includes more than 250 described species. The number of taxa and the distribution of Liolaemus species/populations makes them a good model for testing different hypotheses in systematics.MethodsWe studied two Liolaemus species, Liolaemus nigroviridis and L. monticola as focal species to evaluate their monophyly and the influence of adding new samples from related taxa in the resulting phylogenies. We performed phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) using 141 sequences of the mitochondrial DNA Cytochrome b (cyt-b) of 11 Liolaemus species.ResultsOur study show that using intensive taxon sampling for phylogenetic reconstructions, two species (L. uniformis and L. nitidus) are placed within the clades of the two focal species (L. nigroviridis and L. monticola, respectively).ConclusionsOur study confirms the importance of taxon sampling to infer more accurate phylogenetic relationships, particularly to reveal hidden polyphyly or paraphyly, which may have a strong impact on taxonomic proposals and/or inferring cryptic diversity.

Identifying Endemism Areas: An Example Using Neotropical Lizards

Abstract. Areas of endemism are central to biogeography. They are used as study units by analytical biogeographic methods and as a criterion to identify areas for conservation. Liolaemidae is one of the most diverse groups of lizards in terms of species richness and environmental diversity. Over the last decade, the number of new species recorded for the genera Liolaemus and Phymaturus has increased exponentially. Most of them have restricted distributions, low population density, and high extinction risk. These features make this family one of the main environmental components of the ecosystems they inhabit. Furthermore, it has been long recognized that Liolaemidae species, especially within Phymaturus, are endemic, but that recognition was made intuitively and mostly equating endemic with “having a restricted distribution.” In this study, we provide methodological confirmation of the high degree of endemism of the species of Liolaemus and Phymaturus, with endemic species defined as those “having congrue...

Geographic variation and acclimation effects on thermoregulation behavior in the widespread lizard Liolaemus pictus

Populations at the warm range margins of the species distribution may be at the greatest risks of extinction from global warming unless they can tolerate extreme environmental conditions. Yet, some studies suggest that the thermal behavior of some lizard species is evolutionarily rigid. During two successive years, we compared the thermal biology of two populations of Liolaemus pictus living at the northern (warmer) and one population living at the southern (colder) range limits, thus spanning an 800km latitudinal distance. Populations at the two range margins belong to two deeply divergent evolutionary clades. We quantified field body temperatures (Tb), laboratory preferred body temperatures (PBT), and used operative temperature data (Te) to calculate the effectiveness of thermoregulation (E). During one year in all populations, we further exposed half of the lizards to a cold or a hot acclimation treatment to test for plasticity in the thermal behavior. The environment at the southern range limit was characterized by cooler weather and lower Te. Despite that, females had higher Tb and both males and females had higher PBT in the southernmost population (or clade) than in the northernmost populations. Acclimation to cold conditions led to higher PBT in all populations suggesting that plastic responses to thermal conditions, instead of evolutionary history, may contribute to geographic variation. Lizards regulated moderately well their body temperature (E≈0.7): they avoided warm microhabitats in the northern range but capitalized on warm microhabitats in the southern range. We review literature data to show that Liolaemus species increase their thermoregulation efficiency in thermally challenging environments. Altogether, this indicates that habitats of low thermal quality generally select against thermoconformity in these lizards.

Liolaemus lizards (Squamata: Liolaemidae) as hosts for the nymph of Amblyomma parvitarsum (Acari: Ixodidae), with notes on Rickettsia infection.

Adults of Amblyomma parvitarsum are common ectoparasites of South American camelids of the genera Lama and Vicugna, occuring in highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and also in Argentinean Patagonia. Whereas larval stages of this tick are known to feed on small lizards, host records for the nymphal instar have remained unreported. Supported by morphological and molecular analyses, herein we report A. parvitarsum nymphs parasitizing two Liolaemus species (Reptilia: Squamata) in the Andean Plateau of Argentina and Chile. Additionally, by a PCR screening targetting gltA and ompA genes, DNA of Rickettsia was detected in one of the collected nymphs. Obtained sequences of this agent were identical to a recent Rickettsia sp. described infecting adults of this tick species in Chile and Argentina.

Scale dependency of Liolaemus lizards' home range in response to different environmental variables.

Animal habitat-use patterns cannot be isolated from scale issues. Consequently, multi-scale studies provide a complete characterization of ecological patterns that can further explain the observed variation. Liolaemus constitutes the world’s second most speciose lizard genus. In this study, we assessed the relationships between home range size and environmental variables at 3 different spatial scales. The study at a local and regional scale was focused on the habitat specialist Liolaemus multimaculatus. The lizard’s home range was calculated using the minimum convex polygon method in populations from grassland sites of the coastal sand dunes of the Argentinean Pampas under 2 different conditions, with or without forestations of Acacia longifolia. On the other hand, at a geographical scale we considered the evolutionary implications of 20 species of Liolaemus. Home range size, phylogeny, ecological, environmental, and climatic data were obtained from the literature and remote sensing. L. multimaculatus home range varied from 12.66 to 570.00 m. Regionally, this species had smaller home ranges in forested habitats (: 94.02 m2) compared with the non-forested sites (: 219.78 m2). Habitat structure, vegetation types, and food availability would explain the space use at finer scales. When the 20 species of Liolaemus were considered, high mean air temperature and broad thermal amplitudes showed an inverse relationship with home range size. Neither net primary productivity nor phylogeny was good predictors for home range variation at geographical scale. This study highlights the scale dependence of the explicative capability of a set of environmental and intrinsic variables on home range patterns.

A New Species ofLiolaemusof theLiolaemus alticolor-bibroniiGroup (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract. We describe a new species of Liolaemus of the L. alticolor-bibronii group of the subgenus Liolaemus sensu stricto. Liolaemus bibronii has a large geographic distribution; however, preliminary studies suggest that it comprises a species complex. The new species is phenetically similar to L. bibronii and was confused with this taxon for many years. Nevertheless, the new species presents a combination of character states that clearly differentiate it. Also, the new taxon is distributed far from L. bibronii type locality (ca. 1,600 km). It differs from other species of Liolaemus in presenting a unique color pattern and a combination of morphological character states from lepidosis and morphometry. The new species inhabits pre-Andean localities in Uspallata, Las Heras department, northwest Mendoza Province, and is an insectivorous and oviparous species. With the description of this new taxon, the number of species of the L. alticolor-bibronii group rises to 30, but many populations still remain undes...

First Report of Hemiclitores in Females of South American Liolaemid Lizards

Abstract Studies about copulatory organs in Squamata were restricted to the morphology of hemipenes until Bohme reported homologous paired structures in females of a species of Varanus, which he called hemiclitores. We report the presence of hemiclitores in females of Phymaturus and of two species of Liolaemus and describe observations on the interspecific variation in hemipenis morphology in Phymaturus. Phymaturus and Liolaemus belong to Liolaemidae, a species-rich family of lizards; research about hemipenis morphology is scarce and limited to a few species of those genera. We found the retractor clitoridis magnus in all of the species analyzed; however, the transverse penis was not present in all of them. The general structure of hemiclitores of Phymaturus and Liolaemus females resembled that described for other squamate species; they were smaller than hemipenes and exhibited a sulcus spermaticus. The variation found in different features of these organs (shape, size, pigmentation), as well as the gener...

A review of Chilean chiggers (Acari: Trombiculidae), with the description of a new genus and ten new species.

A new genus and species of chigger mites, Diaguitacarus choapensis gen. et sp. nov., is described from four lizard species of the genus Liolaemus in Choapa Province of Chile. Eight new chigger species are described from lizards of the genera Liolaemus, Phymaturus (Squamata: Liolaemidae), and Microlophus (Squamata: Tropiduridae), in Arica and Parinacota, Atacama, Coquimbo, Valparaíso, and Biobío Regions: Eutrombicula nerudai sp. nov., Eutrombicula mistrali sp. nov., Eutrombicula picunche sp. nov., Microtrombicula mapuche sp. nov., Parasecia molini sp. nov., Paratrombicula philippii sp. nov., Morelacarus jorgei sp. nov., and Morelacarus camanchaca sp. nov. A new species Proschoengastia antarctica sp. nov., which is described from American mink Neovison vison on Navarino Island (Region of Magallanes and Antártica Chilena), is the most southerly chigger species, found at the distance of about 1000 km from the continent of Antarctica. Whartonacarus chaetosus (Brennan and Jones, 1961) comb. nov., which was described from Peru, is for the first time recorded in Chile (Atacama Region) and on Microlophus atacamensis. A new combination Proschoengastia macrochaeta (Brennan and Jones, 1961) comb. nov. is established. The genus Morelacarus Vercammen-Grandjean, 1973 previously known from Mexico and southwestern USA is for the first time recorded in Chile. A review of all previously described Chilean chiggers and a key to Eutrombicula species from Chile are provided. In all, 22 species from 13 genera were recorded in Chile, of which only one species (Whartonacarus chaetosus) is known outside the country.

Comparative morphology of Liolaemus lizards precloacal glands

Liolaemid lizards and amphisbaenids have precloacal pores in the anterior border of the cloaca, where epidermal glands drain and expel pheromonal secretions. Precloacal glands occur usually only in males, but in those few species where both sexes have precloacal glands, these are larger in males. Only the morphology and/or histology of precloacal glands of amphisbaenids have been described, and it is unknown whether in lizards these glands differ across ages, sexes and/or species, and if the lack of pores is associated with a lack of glands. We investigated for the first time the morphology and histology of lizard precloacal glands, by studying three Liolaemus species that differ in the presence of pores in their cloaca: L. irregularis , in which adults and juveniles of both sexes have pores; L. poecilochromus , in which only adult males have pores, and L. neuquensis , in which the adults of both sexes lack pores. Results show that the number of pores varies among species and sexes, but not between ages of a species. Adults, but not juveniles, of L. irregularis have sexual dimorphism in pore sizes; these are larger in males than in females. In addition, pores are larger in adult males of L. irregularis than in L. poecilochromus . Glands are tubuloalveolar with holocrine secretion, having similar structure across individuals, although adult males have larger glands than females and juveniles. Finally, the structure of Liolaemus precloacal glands is very similar to those of the amphisbaenid precloacal glands and the femoral glands of other lizard species.