Liolaemus goetschi MÜLLER & HELLMICH, 1938
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Liolaemus goetschi
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Liolaemus goetschi MÜLLER & HELLMICH 1938 Liolaemus goetschi — ABDALA 2007 Liolaemus goestchi — ABDALA et al. 2008 (in error) Liolaemus goestchi — TULLI et al. 2009 (in error) Liolaemus goetschi — AVILA et al. 2010 |
| Distribution | Argentina (Rio Negro) Type locality: Laguna Playa, approximately 20 km north of General Roca, Río Negro Province, Argentina. |
| Reproduction | Oviparous. |
| Types | Holotype: ZSM 4/1938, adult male, collected 1938 by W. Goetsch |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Liolaemus goetschi belongs to the L. boulengeri group because of the presence of the femoral patch of enlarged scales in the posterior surface of the femur (Etheridge 1995). Within this group, L. goetschi is distinguished from the L. anomalus group because of the hypertrophy of the puboischiotibialis muscle (Abdala et al. 2006), higher percentage of tail autotomy, tail longer than snout-vent length (SVL), head longer than wide, outer cilliaries not projecting and higher number of precloacal pores in males. It also differs from the species of the L. wiegmannii group in having a row of lorilabials between subocular and supralabials and four scales surrounding the mental (Etheridge 2000). Liolaemus goetschi differs from species of the L. laurenti group (Abdala 2007), L. abaucan, L. albiceps, L. calchaquí, L. chacoensis, L. crepuscularis, L. darwinii, L. espinozai, L. grosseorum, L. irregularis L. koslowskyi, L. laurenti, L. lavillai, L. olongasta, L. ornatus, L. quilmes and L. uspallatensis in having posterior teeth with strongly cusped crowns and expanded margins, and in the presence of barely evident sexual dichromatism (Abdala 2007). Females of L. goetschi lack precloacal pores; this character distinguishes the species from L. albiceps, L. calachaqui, L. crepuscularis, L. irregularis, L. lavillai and L. ornatus because a high percentage of females of all these species have 1–6 precloacal pores (Abdala 2007). Within the L. melanops group (Abdala 2007), L. goetschi differs from L canqueli, L. fitzingerii, L. melanops, L. rothi, L. sagei, and L. xanthoviridis in having a shorter snout-vent-length (SVL) (max SVL 74.25 mm vs. 89.00– 106.00 mm) and because of the presence of pre and postscapular spots (absent in these species). It also differs from L. canqueli and L. melanops because of the abscence of the cephalic melanism typical of these species It differs from L. rothi and L. sagei in the more conspicuous gular melanism (Abdala 2007) and from L. morenoi in its smaller size and lower number of scales around the midbody (72–85 Mean = 79.00 vs. 62–72 Mean = 66.35). Liolaemus goetschi differs from Liolaemus inacayali by the presence of pre and postscapular spots and a lower number of scales from occiput to tigh (73–84, Mean = 77.50 vs. 83–96, Mean = 88.75) (Abdala 2003). It differs from L. cheuachekenk in having a shorter maximum SVL (74.25 mm vs. 98.30 mm), in the presence of four to six scales in contact with the mental scale (L. cheuachekenk always presents four), in the absence of abdominal and pectoral melanism and in the presence of a different color pattern (Avila et al. 2008). L. goetschi differs from L. puelche in its smaller size (max SVL 74.25 mm vs. 89.00 mm in L. puelche), lower number of scales around midbody (62–72, Mean = 66.35 vs. 67–76, Mean = 70.75), gular melanism and two series of well defined black paraventral spots, absent in L. puelche (Avila et al. 2007). Within the Liolaemus cuyanus clade (Abdala 2007), composed of L. mapuche, L. cuyanus, and L. donosobarrosi, L. goetschi differs from the first two species in having smaller SVL (max SVL 74.25 mm vs. 79.00 and 102.00 mm, respectively) and a clearly different color pattern that never has a black antehumeral arch (Abdala 2002). It differs from L. donosobarrosi in having longer SVL (max SVL 74.25 mm vs. 60.80 mm), a lower number of scales around the midbody (62–72, Mean = 66.30 vs. 79–95, Mean = 85.40) and a different color pattern (Abdala 2005, 2007). Liolaemus goetschi differs from L. boulengeri, L. josei, L. loboi, L. senguer, L. tehuelche and L. telsen, in having a faint prescapular spot and a larger postscapular spot; two black spots usually band -or line- shaped on each side of the gular region; belly in males and females white or light pink, never yellow, red or bright blue; anterior throat in males never melanic and sexual dichromatism absent or barely marked. It also differs from L. martorii in having a longer SVL (max SVL 74.25 mm vs. 67.10 mm), and four to six scales in contact with mental scale (L. martorii always has four); L. goetschi also has a higher number of light blue scales in tail and body; also scapular spots and spots on the sides of body that are larger and more marked (Table 1 in Nori et al. 2010). |
| Comment | This species has previously been considered as a synonym of L. melanops but revalidated by CEI & SCOLARO 2003. |
| Etymology | Named after W. Goetsch,the collector of the type. |
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