We describe a new species of lizard of the genus Liolaemus from northwestern Chubut Province, Argentina. This new species belongs to the fitzingerii group and is easily distinguished from other members of the group by a combination of morphological and genetic characters. The new species is diagnosable in showing the following combination of characters: dorsal pattern with a conspicuous vertebral band, presence of pre- and postscapular spots, prominent neck folds, and analysis of DNA sequence data from 810 base pairs of the cytochrome b gene (∼4% sequence divergence from its sister taxa Liolaemus fitzingerii). The fitzingerii complex now includes three described species, all restricted to Patagonia, and the new species described here is endemic to a small lowland area in central Patagonia.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Ávila et al. (2008) studied this question.