Phymaturus palluma (MOLINA, 1782)
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Phymaturus palluma
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: High Mountain Lizard |
| Synonym | Lacerta palluma MOLINA 1782: 345 Lacerta Palluma MOLINA 1788: 393 Cordylus Pelluma — MEYER 1795: 17 Centrura flagellifer BELL 1843: 25 Phymaturus palluma — GRAVENHORST 1838: 750 Phymaturus palluma — BOULENGER 1885: 184 Phymaturus palluma palluma — BURT & BURT 1931: 281 Uracentron palluma — BURT & BURT 1933 (in errore) Phymaturus palluma — PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 227 Phymaturus adrianae PEREYRA 1992 (nom. nud. fide LOBO & QUINTEROS 2005) Phymaturus adrianae — CEI & VIDELA 2003 Phymaturus palluma — LOBO & QUINTEROS 2005 Phymaturus gynechlomus CORBALÁN, SCOLARO & DEBANDI 2009 Phymaturus flagellifer — SCOLARO & PINCHEIRA-DONOSO 2010 |
| Distribution | Chile (Coquimbo), Argentina (Catamarca, Patagonia) Type locality: Central Chile (higher Cordillera of Chile fide GRAVENHORST 1838). adrianae: Argentina (Mendoza) gynechlomus: Argentina (CW Mendoza); Type locality: in rocky slopes near Cruz de Piedra River, 2 km W of Alvarado Refuge of Laguna del Diamante Reserve, (2433 m elevation), San Carlos Department, Mendoza province, Argentina. |
| Reproduction | ovoviviparous |
| Types | Neotype: BMNH 1946.8.29.84 (the holotype of Centrura flagellifer Bell, 1843), designated by Etheridge and Savage (2003) Holotype: CH-IADIZA 330, adult male, collected by G. Debandi and V. Corbalán, 04 January 2006. Paratypes: CH-IADIZA 331, adult female; CH-IADIZA 332, adult male; CH-IADIZA 333, adult female; MLP.R-5350, adult male; MLP.R.-5351, adult female. All specimens have the same collection data as the holotype [gynechlomus] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Phymaturus is distinguished morphologically from other liolaemid genera by having a flat and widened body and head, lateral nuchal skin folds with fat-filled pouches, and a tail with regular rows of spiny scales (Etheridge, 1995, Hibbard et al. 2019). Additional details (628 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Subspecies: The former subspecies P. p. patagonicus has been elevated to species status by CEI 1971. Phylogenetics: for recent comprehensive analyses see Reaney et al. 2018 and Lobo et al. 2018. Synonymy partly after PETERS & DONOSO-BARROS 1970: 227. Phymaturus gynechlomus CORBALÁN, SCOLARO & DEBANDI 2009 is a synonym of P. palluma fide Lobo et al. 2010, and TRONCOSO-PALACIOS & LOBO 2012. Distribution: Scolaro (2010) claimed that Sierra de Uspallata should be considered the type locality of Phymaturus palluma, and that probably Darwin collected the specimen (today neotype’s species) in this area. Distribution: not listed by Ruiz de Gamboa 2016 for Chile. For a survey of altitudinal distribution of Phymaturus see Minoli et al. in Morando & Avila 2020. Group: This species belongs to the palluma group (fide LOBO et al. 2010). Nomenclature: ETHERIDGE & SAVAGE (2003) suggested to conserve the widespread existing usage of the generic name Phymaturus Gravenhorst, 1837 and the specific name P. palluma (Molina, 1782) for a genus and a species of lizard (family LIOLAEMIDAE in their opinion) from South America by designating the holotype of Centrura flagellifer Bell, 1843 as the neotype of Lacerta palluma Molina, 1782. Phymaturus and P. palluma have been used in this sense since the name L. palluma was first misapplied by Gravenhorst in 1837. In their application it is accepted that Molina's lizard was actually Callopistes maculatus Gravenhorst, 1837. The ICZN has ruled (ICZN 2005) that the current usage of the generic name Phymaturus Gravenhorst, 1837 and the specific name P. palluma (Molina, 1782) for a genus and a species of lizard (family LIOLAEMIDAE) from South America is conserved by designation of the holotype of Centrura flagellifer Bell, 1843 as the neotype of Lacerta palluma Molina, 1782. Cei & Scolaro (2006) proposed the holotype of the iguanian synonym Centrura flagellifer (Bell, 1843) as neotype of Phymaturus palluma (Molina, 1782), the misidentified type species of Gravenhorst 1837. Such a neotype should be named Phymaturus flagellifer (Bell, 1843) in agreement to the real taxonomic position of the Molina’s species, a Teiid Callopistes, a lacertilian genus strikingly distant from the iguanid genus Phymaturus. Type species: Lacerta palluma MOLINA 1782 is the type species of the genus Phymaturus GRAVENHORST 1838. The genus is characterized by robust lizards of stout, wide and flattened bodies that can squeeze into small rock crevices, thick tail with mucronate and spinose scales, lateral nuchal skin folds with fat-filled pouches, among other exclusive characters (Cei 1986; Etheridge 1995). Diet: herbivorous (see Ocampo et al. 2022 for a comprehensive analysis). Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. |
| Etymology | The species name derives from the peculiar dorsal coloration observed in females, in which the background is uniform and lacks any particular pattern of dark spots, as observed in other Phymaturus species. The genus was named after Greek phymas (φῦμα), a growth: esp. a tumour + Greek oura (οὐρᾷ), tail. ["...Nach dieser Beschaffenheit des Schwanzes habe ich der Gattung den Namen Phymaturus, Beulenschwanz, gegeben, welcher aus den griechischen Wörtern φῦμα Beule, und οὐρᾷ Schwanz, gebildet ist..."]. |
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