Liolaemus ornatus KOSLOWSKY, 1898
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Liolaemus ornatus
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Ornate Tree Iguana S: Lagartija ornamentada |
| Synonym | Liolaemus ornatus KOSLOWSKY 1898: 178 Liolaemus simonsi BOULENGER 1902: 398 (fide LAURENT 1992) Liolaemus mocquardi PELLEGRIN 1909: 325 (fide LAURENT 1992) Liolaemus pulcher PELLEGRIN 1909 (fide LAURENT 1992) Liolaemus pulcher — RENDAHL 1937 Liolaemus ornatus — PETERS et al. 1970: 191 Liolaemus ornatus — CEI 1993 Liolaemus ornatus — DIRKSEN & DE LA RIVA 1999 Liolaemus (Eulaemus) ornatus — SCHULTE et al. 2000 Liolaemus (Eulaemus) ornatus — RAMIREZ LEYTON & PINCHEIRA-DONOSO 2005: 138 Liolaemus enigmaticus PINCHEIRA-DONOSO & NUNEZ 2005 Liolaemus (Eulaemus) ornatus — MORANDO et al. 2020 Liolaemus ornatus — RUIZ et al. 2021 |
| Distribution | Chile, Argentina (Jujuy, Catamarca, Salta), Bolivia (La Paz, Oruro, Potosí, Tarija), Peru (Altiplano) Type locality: Cordilleras de la provincia de Jujuy, Argentina (KOSLOWSKY 1898). Neotype locality: 3 km NW of Abra Pampa (22°43'S, 65°42'W) on Ruta Prov. 7, 3460 meters, Departamento de Cochinoca, Provincia de Jujuy, Republica de Argentina. |
| Reproduction | Viviparous. |
| Types | Neotype: MLP S.1162, designated by Etheridge 1993: 171. The syntypes are lost fide Etheridge 1993: 171. Syntype: NMW 18911 [pulcher] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Adult males of Liolaemus ornatus differ from other members of the L. dalwinii complex in having the dorsal ground color of the head and neck darker than the rest of the body, and from L. datwinii, L. olongasta and L. laurenti in lacking intensely black pigment in the antehumeral fold, from L. dalwinii, L. koslowskyi and L. abaucan in lacking conspicuously enlarged prescapular and postscapular spots, from L. abaucan and L. uspal/atensis in having larger, more distinctly keeled, scales, from L. irregularis in having a distinct, more-or-less symmetrical pattern, and from L. quilmes and all other species save L. irregularis, in having precloacal pores in more than 95 per cent, rather than fewer than 10 per cent, of females (Etheridge 1993: 172). Variation. Maximum size, and variation in tail/total length, scale counts, and precloacal pore numbers provided in Tables 1-4 (Etheridge 1993: 173). Coloration: Bold standard pattern usually present in juveniles of both sexes, but adults dissimilar, and there is marked geographic variation. In Jujuy Province, stripes ofadult males may fragment, more often dorsolateral and ventrolateral stripes are wide and continuous, rendered conspicuous by creamy-yellow scales. Paravertebral spots usually enlarged, sometimes fragmented, but always forming a bold pattern of creamy-yellow and dark brown between the dorsolateral stripes; ground color between paravertebral stripes sometimes brick red or dark bronze. Head and neck always boldly marked with yellow or orange streaks and spots on a rich dark brown background; temporal region and sides ofneck usually with conspicuous dorsolateral and ventrolateral stripes; ground color of head and neck usually conspicuously darker, and contrast between ground color and light spots bolder, than elsewhere on body. Pattern of adult females little modified, or variously reduced due to reduced size of spots and ground color the same color as stripes. In Salta Province, in the valley of the Rio Calchaqui nonh of La Poma, most adult males (PI. 3.2) with bold, creamy-yellow dorsolateral and ventrolateral stripes, ground color nearly uniform dark brown, or with scattered fragments of the paravertebral and lateral spots, and head marked as in Jujuy specimens; females with same general tendency for bold stripes and fragmentation of spots, but not as extreme. Farther south, in the Cumbres de Obispo east of the Rio Calchaqui valley, the pattern is more like that described for Jujuy specimens. Adult males from Puesto El Mufinoz, at 3600 m on the eastern slopes of the Cumbres Calchaques, above the Rio Santa Maria valley, in Tucuman Province, have a bold dorsal pattern consisting of wide, bold dorsolateral light stripes with undulating borders due to fusion with white posterior margins of paravenebral spots; ventrolateral white stripes also prominent on body and tail; lateral spots enlarged and fused to form dark brown lateral stripes with small, white spots; head and sides of neck especially ornate; throat and sides of abdomen with high-contrast pattern of dark brown spots on white background. Specimens from Mina Capillitas, in the Nevado Candado ofeastern Catamarca Province, have a bold standard pattern, especially ornate on the head and neck; all lateral spots distinct and dark brown. In western Catamarca Province, a collection from La Cienega, at 3300 m in the Sierra de Fiambals, above Medarutos, adult males with head and neck ornate; bold dorsolateral stripes, widely separate paravenebral spots, dark pigment within antehumeral fold, pair of dark bars with white in between continuing onto forelimb, similar to pattern found on foream in L. olongasta; throat with very bold pattern of dark brown spots, abdomen with similar but not as bold spots Etheridge 1993: 173). |
| Comment | Member of the darwinii group of Liolaemus. Sexual dimorphism: this species is highly dimorphic. The females of this species were described as L. mocquardi (C. Pincheira-Donoso, pers. comm., 20 May 2013). |
| Etymology | Presumed to refer to the brightly colored, ornate pattern characteristic of adult males of the species (Etheridge 1993: 172). |
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