Two new Liolaemus lizards from the Andean highlands of Southern Chile (Squamata, Iguania, Liolaemidae)

Abstract

Liolaemus is a diverse genus of lizards, subdivided into two subgenera: Liolaemus (sensu stricto) and Eulaemus, distributed mainly in Chile and Argentina. The Liolaemus elongatus-kriegi complex is the most diverse group within Liolaemus (sensu stricto), especially the species closely related to Liolaemus elongatus, which form a clade currently comprising nine species. Several Chilean species of this group have been recently described, mainly from volcanoes and poorly explored mountains. Here molecular and morphological evidence are provided for a new species of the Liolaemus elongatus clade, which is characterized by its small size and lack of dorsal pattern, unusual features for the species of this group of lizards. Additionally, the lack of precloacal pores in males of Liolaemus (sensu stricto) is a trait found in few species, which do not constitute a monophyletic group. A second new southern Chilean species is also described, without precloacal pores and supported by molecular phylogenetics to be related to Liolaemus villaricensis. Both new species were found in the same locality, near a lake located in a pre-Andean zone with Araucaria and Nothofagus forest. The two species are dedicated to prominent Lonkos (tribal chiefs) of the Mapuche and Pehuenche people: Janequeo and Leftraru. Additionally, the phylogenetic results suggest that Liolaemus lonquimayensis is a synonym of Liolaemus elongatus.

Coalescent-based species delimitation in the sand lizards of the Liolaemus wiegmannii complex (Squamata: Liolaemidae)

“…Many new species of Liolaemus have been described in the last ten years due to the resolution of species complexes (e.g., Breitman et al, 2011b, c;Martinez et al, 2011;Avila et al, 2017), or the discovery of new populations (e.g. Avila et al, 2009Avila et al, , 2012Avila et al, , 2015Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016;Verrastro et al, 2017;Vega et al, 2018). As the result of a complex evolutionary history,…”

Phylogenomic analysis of the Chilean clade ofLiolaemuslizards (Squamata: Liolaemidae) based on sequence capture data

“…This study differs from previous studies focused on the subgenus Liolaemus , which have mainly used different fragments of the mitochondrial genome (e.g., Schulte II et al, 2000 ; Torres-Pérez et al, 2009 ; Guerrero et al, 2013 ; Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016a ; Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016b ), in its large character sampling and analytical tools. Nevertheless, we are aware that incomplete taxon sampling has drawbacks, but the new phylogenomic tree presented here should be considered a reliable starting hypothesis based on a high volume of data.…”

“…Species of the nigroviridis group are distributed in the highlands of central and northern Chile ( Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez, 2005 ). Most species have a complex taxonomic history (a detailed summary can be found in Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016a ), which has been difficult to untangle due to the lack of genetic sampling. Our trees show that this species group is polyphyletic, as L. isabelae and L. nigroviridis are not sister species; L. isabelae is in the majority of the topologies sister to L. atacamensis , while L. nigroviridis is recovered consistently in a clade comprising L. monticola , L. fuscus and L. nitidus.…”

“…Many authors, based on morphological data, have placed L. isabelae in the nigroviridis group ( Lobo, 2005 ; Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez, 2005 ; Lobo, Espinoza & Quinteros, 2010 ), while previous DNA-based analyses do not support this placement, questioning the affiliation of L. isabelae to the nigroviridis group ( Schulte & Moreno-Roark, 2010 ; Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016a ). Therefore, our phylogenomic study supports previous DNA based studies, suggesting a large amount of convergence in morphological character states between L. isabelae and L. nigroviridis .…”

“…Moreover, most Liolaemus species present taxonomic problems due to high levels of within species morphological and coloration variation (e.g., Liolaemus nigromaculatus , Troncoso-Palacios & Garin, 2013 ), or to the presence of convergence of morphological traits coupled with genetically divergent lineages (e.g., Liolaemus monticola , Torres-Pérez et al, 2009 ). This scenario has led to some subspecies being recently elevated to species (e.g., L. nigromaculatus atacamensis , now L. atacamensis ; Simonetti et al, 1995 ; Valladares, 2011 ; Troncoso-Palacios & Garin, 2013 ), others becoming synonyms (e.g., L. josephorum under L. velosoi , Núñez, Schulte II & Garín, 2001 ; L. lonquimayensis under L. elongatus , Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2016a ), and several candidate species proposed (e.g., Cianferoni et al, 2013 ; Troncoso-Palacios et al, 2015 ). Therefore, it is necessary to infer a reliable phylogeny to clarify the evolutionary relationships of the group in order to establish a straightforward taxonomy.…”