Liolaemus tunupa TRONCOSO-PALACIOS, SANTA-CRUZ, VENEGAS PONCE & AGUILAR-PUNTRIANO, 2025
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Liolaemus tunupa
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Liolaemus tunupa TRONCOSO-PALACIOS, SANTA-CRUZ, VENEGAS PONCE & AGUILAR-PUNTRIANO 2025 Liolaemus tacnae — Demangel. 2016: 42 (in part) |
| Distribution | Chile (Tarapacá) Type locality: Quebrada Blanca (21°0010 S, 68°4950 W, 4280 m a.s.l.), approximately 120 km SE Pozo Almonte town, Tarapacá Region, Chile |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. SSUC Re 798. Adult male, (Figure 3A, B). Collector: M. Venegas. 15 November 2021. Paratypes.—SSUC Re 799˗807, nine males (Figure 3C, D). SSUC Re 808˗813, six females (Figure 4). Same collection data as the holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis:—DNA phylogenetic evidence provided by Esquerré et al. (2022) shows that Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. is a member of the L. walkeri clade. It exhibits the morphological features characteristic of this group (Aguilar et al. 2013): it is a small (maximum SVL = 52.7 mm), slender lizard, which has black pigmentation on the throat (reticulation or melanism; Figure 3) and lacks precloacal pores in both sexes (Figure 5G, H). In addition, it lacks an upward curved, elongated supralabial scale (Figure 5A–C), has dorsolateral nostrils, and has parietal that scales are variable in size (smaller, similar, or larger than the interparietal). Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. and L. chavin are similar in scale counts and coloration. Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. differs from L. chavin in that most males of L. tunupa sp. nov. have reddish coloration on the lateral sides and the venter, and all have a black lateral band over the shoulder (some specimens have white scales dispersed on the band). Males of L. tunupa sp. nov. have a fragmented vertebral line, whereas in L. chavin the line is continuous (Table 3). PCA analyses further show that both species only marginally overlap in few graphs of the first three PCs (Figures 1 and 2). Finally, L. chavin is the northernmost species of the clade, whereas L. tunupa sp. nov. is the southernmost. Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. has more ventral scales than L. misti (82.6 ± 3.7 vs. 76.2 ± 2.7); most males of L. tunupa sp. nov. exhibit reddish coloration on the lateral and ventral fields, whereas this trait is absent in males of L. misti, which exhibit reddish coloration in the dorsal and ventral side of the last half of the tail. In most males of L. tunupa sp. nov. the paravertebral stripe and the dorso-lateral stripes are barely visible, whereas in males of L. misti these stripes are evident. Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. has more ventral scales than L. pachacutec (82.6 ± 3.7 vs. 73.4 ± 2.9, Table 4) and more scales between the nasal and the canthal (2 vs. 1, Tables 2 and 4). In addition, males of L. pachacutec have precloacal pores (4–5), which are absent in L. tunupa sp. nov. Males and females of L. pachacutec lack regular spots on the lateral field, whereas these are present in both sexes in L. tunupa sp. nov. or are replaced by a black lateral band in males. Most males of L. tunupa sp. nov. have reddish color on the lateral and ventral fields, which is completely absent in males of L. pachacutec. Both species show only marginal overlap in some PCA graphs (Figures 1 and 2). Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. has more ventral scales than L. tacnae (82.6 ± 3.7 vs. 72.8 ± 7.0, Tables 2 and 4) and more dorsal head scales (15.7 ± 1.5 vs. 13.4 ± 0.9, Tables 2 and 4). Males of L. tacnae lack reddish coloration on lateral and ventral fields (reddish color is restricted to the sides of the tail); while most males of L. tunupa sp. nov. exhibit reddish coloration on the lateral and ventral fields. Males of L. tacnae have dark ventral rings on the tail, which are absent in L. tunupa sp. nov. (Table 3). We note that both species show only marginal overlap in some PCA graphs (Figures 1 and 2). Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. has more scales between the nasal and the canthal (2 vs. 1.2 ± 0.4, Tables 2 and 4) than L. walkeri. Moreover, males of L. walkeri have precloacal pores (3–6), which are absent in L. tunupa sp. nov. Males of L. tunupa sp. nov. have fragmented vertebral line, whereas in males of L. walkeri it is continuous (Table 3). In addition, males of L. walkeri lack reddish coloration on the lateral and ventral fields. Both species show only marginal overlap in some PCA graphs (Figures 1 and 2). Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. has more dorsal scales than L. wari (52.5 ± 2.1 vs. 45.1 ± 3.0, Tables 2 and 4) and more scales between the nasal and the canthal (2 vs. 1, Tables 2 and 4). Males of L. wari have precloacal pores (4–5), which are absent in L. tunupa sp. nov. In addition, males of L. wari have a continuous vertebral line, whereas in males of Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. have a fragmented line. Males of L. wari lack reddish coloration on the lateral sides and venter. Males of L. wari have dark ventral rings on the tail, which are absent in L. tunupa sp. nov. Both species show only partial overlap in some PCA graphs (Figures 1 and 2). A summary of the morphological features used for comparison is provided in Table 4. Due to its size and shape, L. tunupa sp. nov. might be confused with L. puna, a species of the L. alticolor-bibronii group of the Liolaemus (sensu stricto) subgenus, which also inhabits the Tarapacá Region of Chile. However, all species of the L. walkeri clade, including L. tunupa sp. nov., lack an upward curved, elongated supralabial scale (Figure 5A–C), and have dorsolateral nostrils. All other species of Liolaemus (sensu stricto), have an upward curved, elongated supralabial (usually the fourth) and lateral nostrils (Etheridge 1995; Figure 5D–E of this study), including L. puna (Lobo and Espinoza 2004, Pincheira-Donoso and Núñez 2005). Species of the L. walkeri clade have parietal scales that are variable in size (smaller, similar or larger than the interparietal), but in L. puna and at least the Chilean and Peruvian species of the L. alticolor-bibronii group the interparietal scale is always smaller than the parietals (Pincheira-Donoso and Núñez 2005, CAP and JTP unpublished data). Finally, in males of Chilean species of the L. alticolor-bibronii group, including L. puna, precloacal pores are always present (Pincheira-Donoso and Núñez 2005, named as L. bibronii group), whereas they are absent in males of L. tunupa sp. nov. (Troncoso-Palacios et al. 2025) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 9476 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Group: Liolaemus walkeri clade. |
| Etymology | Named after the Andean divinity Tunupa, god of volcanoes and thunder, who was venerated by the Aymara people. It is most probable that the Tarapacá Region of Chile, in which Liolaemus tunupa sp. nov. inhabit, is also named after the god Tunupa. |
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