Liolaemus

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Liolaemus
File:Kaldari Liolaemus tenuis 01.jpg
Liolaemus tenuis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Subphylum:
Vertebrata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Infraorder:
Iguania
Family:
Liolaemidae (disputed)
Genus:
Liolaemus

Wiegmann, 1834 [1]
Subgenera

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Liolaemus is a genus of iguanian lizards, containing many species, all of which are endemic to South America.

Description

Members of this genus form a dominant part of the lizard fauna of the southern part of the continent of South America, and vary considerably in size (45–100 millimetres or 1.8–3.9 inches snout–vent length) and weight (3–200 grams or 0.1–7.1 ounces).

Geographic range

Liolaemus species are found in the Andes and adjacent lowlands, from Peru to Tierra del Fuego,[2] at altitudes that can exceed 4,500 metres (14,800 ft).[3]

Diet

Most are omnivorous, but a few purely insectivorous and herbivorous species are known.

Species

There are more than 225 described species, but the true number of species may be about double this number.[3] Liolaemus is by far the largest genus of the liolaemid lizards, which are traditionally treated as subfamily Liolaeminae within the Iguanidae but more recently were proposed for upranking to full family Liolaemidae.

The following species are recognised:[4]

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Pets

Some species of Liolaemus have been recently kept as pets, and as many of them originate from regions that experience cold conditions, they are named "snow swifts". More generally, the genus is known as "tree iguanas".

References

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Further reading

  • Boulenger GA. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ, ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. (Genus "Liolæmus", p. 138).
  • Wiegmann AFA. 1834. "Beiträge zur Zoologie, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde. Siebente Abhandlung. Amphibien". Nova Acta Physico-Medica, Academiae Caesare Leopoldino-Carolinae 17: 185-268 + Plates XIII-XXII. (Liolaemus, new genus, p. 227). (in German and Latin).

External links

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