Post by Ceratodromeus on Aug 22, 2016 5:15:48 GMT 5
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Reptilia
Infraorder: Iguania
Family: Liolaemidae
Genus: Liolaemus
Species: L.parthenos
Description
This new addition to the Species rich Liolaemus genus represents the first parthenogenic plethodont iguanian. Field observations on the species spanned over an 18 year period, a period in which no males were ever encountered. This species is can be distinguished from other members of this rich genus on the basis of the lack of Pterygoid teeth, a proportionally longer(~1.4-1.6x the SVL) tail, a head longer than it is wide, smaller scale counts(namely midbody), and unique dorsal & ventral patterning/ coloration{1}. The holotype measured 59.88mm(2.3in) with a tail length of 92.7mm(3.6in).
Observations on wild animals were made from October through February, and again in April, though the juveniles were the only ones found to be active in the mornings; the authors suggest this is an ontogenic or seasonal change in diel activity. Reproductively active females, those with developing or fully developed eggs were recorded December - January, and non active females were recorded in February. Recorded body temperatures from five individuals averaged 34.68C, which is similar to other Liolaemus at lower elevations.
{1}The First Parthenogenetic Pleurodont Iguanian: A New All-female Liolaemus (Squamata:Liolaemidae) from Western Argentina
Abstract
Vertebrate taxa with entirely unisexual populations are composed of females that reproduce without fertilization and
are generally of hybrid origin. At least 23 vertebrate families have unisexual lineages. Within squamate reptiles, .40
uniparental species have been described from five major lineages: acrodont iguanians, Gekkota, Serpentes,
Scincomorpha, and Varanidae. Pleurodont iguanians include .1100 species, all of which have gonochoristic
reproduction. Here we report the discovery of a new unisexual lizard from the liolaemid genus Liolaemus, a speciesrich
(~260 species) clade distributed over most of southern South American. The new species, Liolaemus parthenos, is the
only known all-female triploid pleurodont iguanian. The structural chromosome heteromorphisms of the karyotypes
support the hypothesis that L. parthenos is the product of a hybrid origin. Based on morphology, the new species is
assignable to the L. boulengeri group (sensu Abdala, 2007), and phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA indicate
that L. parthenos is nested within L. darwinii, suggesting that the latter is the maternal ancestor of this species.
Additional data are needed to identify the patrilineal ancestor.
www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1643/CH-15-381?journalCode=cope
