The skull of Liolaemus huayra compared to other species of Liolaemus and Phymaturus (Squamata, Liolaemidae)

Abstract

Despite the extensive study of various aspects of the genus Liolaemus, thereremains a scarcity of information regarding the osteology of species. In the lasttwo decades, over 100 species have been described within the genus, but stillless than 10% of the Liolaemus species includes any osteological data. In thisstudy, we provide a description of the skull of Liolaemus huayra, a taxonclosely related to the L. dorbignyi clade (a subset of the L. montanus group).The species was originally described in 2008 based on a few specimens fromthe Sierra de Quilmes, Tucuman. By obtaining new specimens from a nearbylocality (La Ovejería, Catamarca), we were able to prepare the skulls of twomales and two females specimens. Despite the limited sample size, weobserved intra-specific variability in characters such as postorbital and nasalshape, as well as mandibular curvature. We also document some inter-specificdifferences based on the scarce osteological information available from otherspecies within the genus. This description constitutes a significant contributionto the osteology of the Liolaemidae clade. We emphasize the importance ofdetailed descriptions that provide morphological characters suitable for inclusion in comprehensive phylogenetic analyses.