Liolaemus omorfi, a New Lizard Species from the Andes of Northern Chile (Sauria, Liolaemidae)

Abstract

The South American lizard genus Liolaemus embodies one of the most exceptional examples of prolific diversification among living vertebrates on the planet. These iguanians have extensively colonized a wide range of environments, including a successful succession of historical invasions of The Andes. Accumulating evidence reveals that Andean ecosystems have operated as engines promoting Liolaemus diversification, where numerous new species are continuously reported. Here, we describe a new species of Liolaemus lizard belonging to the Eulaemus (or montanus) lineage, and distributed in the area of Zorritas ravine, nearby the Llullaillaco volcano. We employ a number of phenotypic and bioclimatic quantitative analyses to test the hypothesis that this Liolaemus has evolutionarily diverged from other species of the same group distributed in the same Andean areas.