Liolaemus kolengh ABDALA & LOBO, 2006
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Liolaemus kolengh
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Liolaemus kolengh ABDALA & LOBO 2006 |
| Distribution | Argentina (Santa Cruz), elevation 1000-1485 m, Chile (Lago Jeinimeni National Reserve) Type locality: Ceballos Hill way, near to Ceballos river, Department of Lago Buenos Aires, Province of Santa Cruz, Argentine. S 47°01.542’; W 71°48.475’, 1485 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Holotype: FML 10870. Adult male, Abdala, C. P. Cacivio, L. Federico, F. Lobo. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Following the diagnosis made by Etheridge (1995), Liolaemus kolengh is classified in the lineomaculatus group, because of the absence of precloacal pores in both sexes, and the presence of dorsal trifid scales. Compared to L. lineomaculatus, the new species has fewer scales around the midbody (48-58, x = 52.7, vs. 56-68, x = 60.1), fewer ventral scales (61-76, x = 69.8, vs. 85-92, x = 88.0), fewer temporal scales (6-8, x = 7.1, vs. 10-11, x = 10.2), strongly keeled dorsal scales (soft-keeled in L. lineomaculatus), a melanic ventral region (immaculate white abdomen in L. lineomaculatus). Within the Lineomaculatus group, L. kolengh is included in the silvanae group (Etheridge, 1995) because its nuchal scales are keeled and imbricate, and its femoral scales are subimbricate. Compared to L. silvanae, the new species has fewer scales around the midbody (48-58, x = 52.7, vs. 55-68, x = 64.7), fewer ventral scales (61-76, x = 69.8, vs. 73-78, x = 76.0), shorter snout-vent length (49.8-62.2, x = 57.3 mm, vs. 68.1-73.1, x = 70.4 mm), slightly keeled temporal scales (strongly keeled scales in L. silvanae), antegular pocket with granular inner scales (antegular pocket without granular inner scales in L. silvanae). Ac-cording to Donoso Barros & Cei (1971), Cei & Scolaro (1982a), and Cei (1986), the coloration of L. silvanae males ranges from dark to black, with some light blue or yellow scales on the tail. There are also light blue marks on the sides, and blue or black marks on the ventral region. This pattern is very different from L. kolengh males, which do not have a dark or black background color, or blue scales on the sides or tail. L. kolengh males are almost completely melanic ventrally, without the blue shades found in L. silvanae. Liolaemus kolengh differs from L. hatcheri, another species of the silvanae group, in the following ways: fewer ventral scales (61-76, x = 69.8; vs. 66-84, x = 74.1), background color yellow, orange or red, with large, closely spaced paravertebral and lateral marks, darker dorsal pattern, with less pronounced transverse lines (lighter background color, never yellow orange or red, and lighter dorsal pattern, with smaller paravertebral and lateral marks, separated by pronounced, wide, light transverse lines in L. hatcheri). In L. kolengh, the throat, chest, abdomen, members and tail are melanic in 95% of individuals, while in L. hatcheri, only the abdominal region is melanic, and the rest of the body is variegated, showing, on the tail, characteristic light patches which sometimes describe parallel bands. Another basal species in the Liolaemus genus (Etheridge 1995), also from Patagonia and related to the lineomaculatus group, is L. magellanicus. The clearest difference between this species and L. kolengh is the presence of precloacal pores in the former, and their absence in the latter. Additionally, L. kolengh has more scales around the midbody (48-58, x = 52.7; vs. 37-52, x = 40.1), more scales between the occiput and the leg (38-53, x = 45.4; vs. 33-40, x = 36.3), more scales on the neck (30-38, x = 33.8; vs. 24-30, x = 27.8), more throat scales (29-39, x = 34.1; vs. 26-30, x = 27.7), melanic ventral coloration pattern (variegated pattern either without melanism, or with diffused melanism only in the abdominal region in L. magellanicus, without the definite patches or bands on the tail, found in L. hatcheri). |
| Comment | Group: lineomaculatus group. |
| Etymology | “Kolengh” means “thorn” in Patagonia’s indigenous Tehuelche language, making reference to one characteristic of the new taxon: the presence of long sharp scales, which give the lizard a bristly or “thorny” appearance in the dorsolateral region. |
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