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| Liolaemus tajzara Aguilar-Kirigin
in Abdala, Aguilar-Kirigin, Semhan, ... et Aparicio, 2019.
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Abstract
The Liolaemus montanus group is a diverse group of lizards that ranges from central Peru to southwestern Mendoza, Argentina, including much of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (“Bolivia”) and Chile. The species of this group mainly inhabit high elevation areas with cold temperatures. In the last years, several species of this group have been described, mostly in Argentina and Chile. In Bolivia, there are at least thirteen valid species belonging to the L. montanus group. In this study, we describe a new species of the L. montanus group with a marked endemism in the Cordillera de Sama of the Tarija Department, Bolivia, and a combination of unique character states that allows its formal description as a new species. The phylogenetic relationships based on analysis of 159 morphological characters suggest that it belongs to the L. montanus group, and that it is closest to Liolaemus pulcherrimus, which is found allopatrically in a small area of the Jujuy Province, Argentina. The multivariate analyses of 66 morphological characters support the phylogenetic relationships. Statistical analyses of inter-species comparisons of morphological characters are not considered the only methods due to the non-independence of some characters states among species; thus, a phylogenetic analysis is recommended. The detailed revision of specimens of the L. montanus group held in the collections of Bolivia is filling major geographic gaps and improving our understanding of the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of this widely distributed group of South American lizards.
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| Fig 4. Holotype of Liolaemus tajzara sp. nov., dorsolateral view. Photograph: C.S. Abdala. |
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| Fig 5. Holotype of Liolaemus tajzara sp. nov., ventral view. Photograph: C.S. Abdala. |
Liolaemus tajzara Aguilar-Kirigin sp. nov.
Liolaemus islugensis
Liolaemus aff. signifer
Liolaemus sp. 2 “Sama”
Liolaemus sp. 2 “Torohuaico”
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| Fig 6. Male specimen of Liolaemus tajzara sp. nov., from the type locality. Photograph: C.S. Abdala. |
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| Fig 7. Female specimen of Liolaemus tajzara sp. nov., from the type locality. Photograph: C.S. Abdala. |
Etymology: The scientific name for this new species was assigned in reference to the type locality: the surroundings of the Tajzara Basin lagoons in the Reserva Biológica Cordillera de Sama of the Tarija Department, Plurinational State of Bolivia.
Diagnosis:
Liolaemus tajzara sp. nov. belongs to the L. montanus group because it presents a bladelike process on the tibia, associated with the hypertrophy of the tibialis anticus muscle [20, 67]. The L. montanus group species differ from those of the L. boulengeri group [9, 68] by the complete absence of patches of enlarged scales in the posterior part of the thigh (versus presence of such patches, at least in adult males). Within the L. montanus group, our new species is distinguished from Liolaemus audituvelatus, L. famatinae, L. griseus, Liolaemus insolitus, Liolaemus manueli, Liolaemus omorfi, Liolaemus poconchilensis, Liolaemus reichei, Liolaemus stolzmanni and Liolaemus torresi by their smaller size, with a maximum SVL of less than 65 mm compared to at least 71.9 mm in L. tajzara sp. nov. and, it is distinguished from Liolaemus annectens, Liolaemus aymararum, L. chlorostictus, L. dorbignyi, Liolaemus duellmani, Liolaemus fabiani, Liolaemus filiorum, L. forsteri, Liolaemus foxi, Liolaemus huayra, L. huacahuasicus, Liolaemus igneus, Liolaemus inti, L. jamesi, Liolaemus juanortizi, Liolaemus melanogaster, Liolaemus nigriceps, L. orientalis, L. pantherinus, L. pachecoi, Liolaemus patriciaiturrae, L. pleopholis, Liolaemus polystictus, L. puritamensis, Liolaemus robustus, Liolaemus scrocchii, L. signifer, Liolaemus tacora, Liolaemus vulcanus and, Liolaemus williamsi by their larger size with maximum SVL exceeding 75 mm (often greater than 90 mm) versus the observed maximum of 71.9 mm in L. tajzara sp. nov.
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Distribution: All known specimens and observations of L. tajzara sp. nov. are from the Reserva Biológica Cordillera de Sama, Yunchara Municipality, Avilez Province, Tarija Department, Plurinational State of Bolivia, mainly in the semi-humid Puna phytogeographic region, at altitudes higher than 3500 m (Figs 11 and 12).
Cristian Simón Abdala, Alvaro J. Aguilar-Kirigin, Romina Valeria Semhan, Ana Lucia Bulacios Arroyo, Julián Valdes, Marcos Maximiliano Paz, Roberto Gutiérrez Poblete, Pablo Valladares Faundez, Robert Langstroth and James Aparicio. 2019. Description and Phylogeny of A New Species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) Endemic to the south of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. PLoS ONE. 14(12): e0225815. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225815
