Proporciones corporales y utilización del hábitat en dos poblaciones contiguas de Liolaemus lemniscatus Gravenhorst

Abstract

Liolaemus lemniscatus is a short-limbed ground-dwelling lizard fundamentally found in herbaceous terrains. However, in San Luis de Macul it is foimd perching on rocks. We wished to lest if the utilization of rocky patches was associated with changes in the pattern of limb proportions of this species, converging toward the long-limbed phenotype typical of saxicolous Liolaemus. We analyzed habitat utilization (rocky versus herbaceous patches) in two areas differing in the availability of rocks and herbaceous terrain. In San Luis de Macul, L. lemniscatus utilizes the rocky patches in higher proportion than expected from their availability; In Quebrada de Macul (our control site) utilization and availability of rocky patches is not significantly different, and L. lemniscatus is found mostly in the herbaceous patches. There is not change in the pattern of limb proportions between the two populations. Two hypotheses are advanced to account for the phenomenon.