Lizards at the End of the World: a New Melanic Species of Phymaturus of the Patagonicus Clade From Rocky Outcrops in the Northwestern Steppe of Chubut Province, Patagonia Argentina (Reptilia: Iguania: Liolaemidae)

Abstract

A new Phymaturus species is described as a new member of the "patagonicus" group of the genus.
The Patagonian lizard genus Phymaturus is regarded as a candidate for non-adaptive radiation given
the tendency toward non-overlapping distributions among its phenotypically and ecologically similar
species (i.e., niche conservatism). In this paper, we provide the description of a sexually monomorphic
species new to this clade. It is distinguished from other members of the patagonicus group by having
metric and meristic differences, as well as by a peculiar, almost homogeneous, black colour pattern over
the whole body. It lives at about 1000 m of altitude in very dark basalt rocky outcrops, in northwestern
Chubut Province, Argentina. The new species is morphologically compared with the closely related
species of the patagonicus group, and its distribution and natural history are highlighted.