Liolaemus

Liolaemus is a genus of iguanian lizards, containing many species, all of which are endemic to South America.^[2]

Liolaemus
Liolaemus nigromaculatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Iguania
Family:	Liolaemidae
Genus:	Liolaemus Wiegmann, 1834 [1]
Type species
Liolaemus nigromaculatus Wiegmann, 1834
Subgenera
Liolaemus (Liolaemus) Liolaemus (Eulaemus)

Description

L. tenuis

Members of the genus Liolaemus form a dominant part of the lizard fauna of the southern part of the continent of South America, and vary considerably in size (45–100 millimetres or 1.8–3.9 inches snout–vent length) and weight (3–200 grams or 0.1–7.1 ounces).

Geographic range

Liolaemus species are found in the Andes and adjacent lowlands, from Peru to Tierra del Fuego,^[3] at altitudes that can exceed 4,500 metres (14,800 ft).^[4] The genus has been recorded at 5,400 m (17,700 ft) above sea level on Chachani mountain, which is the highest recorded altitude for any reptile species.^[5]

Liolaemus aff. tacnae, photographed at 5,400 metres (17,700 feet) above sea level on Chachani mountain. This is the highest-altitude record for a reptile. Place of photography marked by a red arrow.

Liolaemus magellanicus and Liolaemus sarmientoi are the world's southernmost reptiles, living as far south as Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and the northern shores of the Strait of Magellan respectively.^[6][7]

Diet

Most species of Liolaemus are omnivorous, but a few purely insectivorous and herbivorous species are known.

Species

Main article: List of Liolaemus species

There are more than 225 described species in the genus Liolaemus, but the true number of species may be about double this number.^[4] Liolaemus is by far the largest genus of the liolaemid lizards, which are traditionally treated as subfamily Liolaeminae within the Iguanidae but more recently were proposed for upranking to full family Liolaemidae.

Pets

Some species of Liolaemus have been recently kept as pets, and as many of them originate from regions that experience cold conditions, they are named "snow swifts". More generally, the genus is known as "tree iguanas".

References

1. Ávila, Luciano J.; Morando, Mariana; Sites, Jack W. Jr. (2008). "New species of the iguanian lizard genus Liolaemus (Squamata, Iguania, Liolaemini) from Central Patagonia, Argentina" (PDF). Journal of Herpetology. 42 (1): 186–196. doi:10.1670/06-244r2.1. hdl:11336/101281. S2CID 41772239.
2. "Liolaemus Lizards". Daniel Pincheira-Donoso – Homepage. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
3. Schulte, J. (January 2000). "Phylogenetic relationships in the iguanid lizard genus Liolaemus: multiple origins of viviparous reproduction and evidence for recurring Andean vicariance and dispersal". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 69 (1): 75–102. Bibcode:2000BJLS...69...75S. doi:10.1006/bijl.1999.0346.
4. Olave, Melisa; Martinez, Lorena E.; Ávila, Luciano J.; Sites, Jack W. Jr.; Morando, Mariana (2011). "Evidence of hybridization in the Argentinean lizards Liolaemus gracilis and Liolaemus bibronii (Iguania: Liolaemini): an integrative approach based on genes and morphology" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (2): 381–391. Bibcode:2011MolPE..61..381O. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.07.006. hdl:11336/82195. PMID 21798358. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
5. Cerdeña, José; Farfán, Jackie; Quiroz, Aarón J. (2021-02-15). "A high mountain lizard from Peru: The world's highest-altitude reptile". Herpetozoa. 34: 61–65. doi:10.3897/herpetozoa.34.61393. ISSN 2682-955X.
6. Duran, Fernando; Boretto, Jorgelina M.; Fernández, Jimena B.; Molina, Mora Ibáñez; Medina, Marlin S.; Ibargüengoytía, Nora R. (2019). "Impact of immunological state on eco-physiological variables in one of the southernmost lizards in the world". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências. 91 (4): e20190055. doi:10.1590/0001-3765201920190055. hdl:11336/106398. PMID 31778459.
7. Jaksic, Fabián M. [in Spanish] (2022). "Historical account and current ecological knowledge of the southernmost lizard in the world, Liolaemus magellanicus (Squamata: Liolaemidae)". Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 95 (7). Bibcode:2022RvCHN..95....7J. doi:10.1186/s40693-022-00112-y.

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I–XXIV. (Genus "Liolæmus", p. 138).
• Wiegmann AFA (1834). "Beiträge zur Zoologie, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde. Siebente Abhandlung. Amphibien ". Nova Acta Physico-Medica, Academiae Caesare Leopoldino-Carolinae 17: 185–268 + Plates XIII–XXII. (Liolaemus, new genus, p. 227). (in German and Latin).

External links

• Data related to Liolaemus at Wikispecies
• Cyber Lizard A look at the Iguanids