A new lizard of the Liolaemus montanus group that inhabits the hyperarid desert of southern Peru

A new lizard of the genus Liolaemus is described from the Tacna region of southern of Peru. This species belongs to the L. montanus group and was initially thought to be L. poconchilensis and L. insolitus. However, a series of diagnostic characters differentiate it consistently from these two specie...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Valladares Faundez, John Pablo, Franco León, Pablo, Chipana, César Jove, Navarro Guzmán, Marco, Apaza, Javier Ignacio, Cáceres Musaja, César, Langstroth, Robert, Aguilar Kiriguin, Alvaro, Gutierrez, Roberto C., Abdala, Cristian Simón
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/147719
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/147719
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:TACNA
LIOLAEMIDAE
REPTILES
TAXONOMY
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.6
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
Descripción
Sumario:A new lizard of the genus Liolaemus is described from the Tacna region of southern of Peru. This species belongs to the L. montanus group and was initially thought to be L. poconchilensis and L. insolitus. However, a series of diagnostic characters differentiate it consistently from these two species and all other species of the genus. To determine the taxonomic status of these lizards, their phylogenetic relationships were analyzed, as well as their morphological and ecological characteristics. The results of the analysis support the conclusion that this population of lizards represents a new species to science, and that the new species is related to L. nazca and L. chiribaya. The new species has sexual dimorphism and is known from elevations of ca. 1,000 m above sea level in the hyperarid Pacifc deserts, which are populated by scattered Ephedra americana and Poissonia sp. Due to its highly restricted range and observed habitat loss, we recommend this species be categorized as Critically Endangered