Tuesday, September 8, 2020

[Herpetology • 2020] Liolaemus anqapuka • Some Color in the Desert: Description of A New Species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from southern Peru


Liolaemus anqapuka Huamaní-Valderrama, Quiroz, Gutiérrez, Aguilar-Kirigin, Chaparro & Abdala

in Huamaní-Valderrama, Quiroz, Gutiérrez, Aguilar-Kirigin, ... et Abdala, 2020. 


Abstract
The desert of southern Peru and northern Chile is an area with a high degree of endemism in squamate reptiles. In this work, an endemic new species is described in the genus Liolaemus with a restricted geographical distribution on the western slopes of the La Caldera batholith in the Department of Arequipa, southern Peru, that inhabits the Desert province of southern Peru, between 1,800 and 2,756 m asl. The new species is characterized by a unique combination of morphological and molecular characters that distinguish it from all other Liolaemus species, and it is included in the L. reichei clade within the L. montanus group. Evidence presented shows that the category of threat corresponds to Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria. 

Keywords. Arequipa, coastal desert, Endangered, La Caldera batholith, Liolaemus insolitus, lizard, Reptilia 


Fig. 3. Adult male of the holotype, Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. (MUSA 5573; SVL = 73.5 mm, Tail = 63.9 mm), from the Department of Arequipa, 2,460 m asl.
Photos by C.S. Abdala.

Fig. 4. Male specimens of the Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov.
 Photos by A. Quiroz (A–D) and C.S. Abdala (E).

Fig. 5. Female specimens of the Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov.
Photos by A. Quiroz.

Liolaemus anqapuka Huamaní-Valderrama, Quiroz, Gutiérrez, Aguilar-Kirigin, Chaparro, Abdala sp. nov. 

 1885 Ctenoblepharis adspersus—Boulenger, Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition 2: 136–137. 
1978b “Ctenoblepharus sp.” Péfaur et al. Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Études Andines VII (1–2): 129–139. 
1982 Liolaemus insolitus Cei and Péfaur, In Actas 8vo Congreso Latinoamericano de Zoología. Pp. 573–686. 
1995 Ctenoblepharys adspersa—Etheridge, American Museum Novitates 3142: 1–34. 
2004 Phrynosaura [sp.] Nuñez, Noticiario Mensual Museo de Historia Natural 353: 28–34. 
2010 Liolaemus cf. insolitus, Gutierrez and Quiroz, Herpetofauna del Sur del Perú, Available: / herpetofaunadelsurdelperu.blogspot.com [Accessed: 13 June 2020]. 
2011 Liolaemus species 2, Langstroth, Zootaxa 2809: 32. 
2020 Liolaemus aff. insolitus7, Abdala et al., Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 189: 1–29.

Diagnosis. We assign Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. to the L. montanus group because it presents a blade-like process on the tibia, associated with the hypertrophy of the tibial muscle tibialis anterior (Abdala et al. 2020; Etheridge 1995) and its placement in the morphological and molecular phylogenies (Fig. 11). Within the L. montanus group, Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. differs from L. andinus, L. annectens, L. aymararum, L. cazianiae, L. chlorostictus, L. dorbignyi, L. fabiani, L, forsteri, L. foxi, L. gracielae, L. huayra, L. inti, L. jamesi, L. melanogaster, L. multicolor, L. nigriceps, L. orientalis, L. pachecoi, L. pantherinus, L. patriciaiturrae, L. pleopholis, L. polystictus, L. puritamensis, L. qalaywa, L. robustus, L. scrocchii, L. signifer, L. vallecurensis, L. victormoralesii, L. vulcanus, and L. williamsi, for being species of larger size (SVL greater than 75 mm) unlike L. anqapuka sp. nov., which has a maximum SVL of 73.5 mm. Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov., has between 58 and 72 (mean = 64.8) scales around the body, which differentiates it from species of the group with more than 80 scales, such as L. cazianiae, L. duellmani, L. eleodori, L. erguetae, L. forsteri, L. gracielae, L. molinai, L. multicolor, L. nigriceps, L. patriciaiturrae, L. pleopholis, L. poecilochromus, L. porosus, L. pulcherrimus, L. robertoi, L. rosenmanni, L. ruibali, and L. vallecurensis; and also from species with less than 55 scales, like L. aymararum, L. jamesi, L. pachecoi, and L. thomasi. Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. have 60–72 dorsal scales (mean = 65.5), and differs from L. andinus, L. cazianiae, L. eleodori, L. erguetae, L. forsteri, L. foxi, L. gracielae, L. halonastes, L. molinai, L. multicolor, L. nigriceps, L. patriciaiturrae, L. pleophlolis, L. poecilochromus, L. porosus, L. pulcherrimus, L. robertoi, L. rosenmanni, L. ruibali, L. schmidti, and L. vallecurensis, which have between 75–102 dorsal scales. The number of ventral scales between 73–87 (mean = 81.3) differentiates it from species with more than 90 ventral scales, such as L. andinus, L. cazianiae, L. erguetae, L. eleodori, L. foxi, L. gracielae, L. halonastes, L. hajeki, L. molinai, L. nigriceps, L. patriciaiturrae, L. pleopholis, L. poecilochromus, L. porosus, L. robertoi, L. rosenmanni, and L. vallecurensis. Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. has juxtaposed or subimbricate dorsal scales, without keel or mucron, this differentiates it from species with conspicuous keel and mucron, as L. aymararum, L. etheridgei, L. famatinae, L. fttkaui, L. griseus, L. huacahuasicus, L. montanus, L. orko, L. ortizi, L. polystictus, L. pulcherrimus, L. qalaywa, L. signifer, L. tajzara, L. thomasi, L. victormoralesii, and L. williamsi. Females of L. anqapuka sp. nov. present 1–4 (mean = 2.6) precloacal pores, this character differentiates it from species like L. andinus, L. balagueri, L. fttkaui, L. multicolor, L. ortizi, L. polystictus, L. puritamensis, L. robertoi, L. robustus, L. rosenmanni, L. ruibali, L. thomasi, and L. vallecurensis, because they do not present precloacal pores in females.

Etymology. The specifc name refers to the coloration patterns of males. The word “anqapuka” is an original word in the Quechua language (spoken currently in the Peruvian Andes), corresponding to a complex word between “anqa” assigned to the blue color, and “puka” which means orange or red color. 

Distribution and natural history. Liolaemus anqapuka sp nov. is restricted to the western slopes of the La Caldera batholith, Arequipa, Peru, between 1,800 and 2,756 m asl, which includes the upper altitude limit of the La Joya desert (Fig. 6). The distribution is within the Desert biogeographic province (sensu Morrone 2014). Liolaemus anqapuka sp. nov. inhabits arid environments, characteristic of the desert of southern Peru, with sandy-stony substrates and little slope, seasonal herbaceous vegetation, and columnar and prostrate cacti. This species also inhabits sectors without vegetation (Fig. 7). It takes refuge mainly under stones, and in burrows that surround the roots of small bushes, prostrate cacti, and in cavities underground or in hardened sand. 

    



 Ling Huamaní-Valderrama, Aarón J. Quiroz, Roberto C. Gutiérrez, Álvaro Aguilar-Kirigin, Wilson Huanca-Mamani, Pablo Valladares-Faúndez, José Cerdeña, Juan C. Chaparro, Roy Santa Cruz and Cristian S. Abdala. 2020. Some Color in the Desert: Description of A New Species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from southern Peru, and Its Conservation Status. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 14(3) [Taxonomy Section]: 1–30 (e250).

   

ที่