Unveiling Patagonian Lizards: A Three-Decade Journey through Ecology, Evolution, and Adaptation in a Changing World

Abstract

The first studies on herpetofauna of the Andes and Patagonia were initiated at the beginning of the last century by herpetologists like Lorenz Müller (1868–1953), K. G. Walter Hellmich (1906–1974), José Miguel Cei (1918–2007; Fig. 1a), Roberto Donoso-Barros (1922–1975), Richard E. Etheridge (1929–2019), and José Alejandro Scolaro (1946-; Fig. 1a). Their publications laid the foundation for herpetology in the region, focusing on describing new species and deciphering the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships among them. Inspired by the wide range of opportunities to study the life history, ecology, and physiology traits of several yet unkown species in such a pristine landscape, Dr. Nora R. Ibargüengoytía (Fig. 1a and e) began her extensive career with projects in San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro, Argentina. Her initial field campaigns and articles focused on the reproductive biology of liolaemid lizards, but her research quickly expanded to include studies on growth, ecology, physiology, evolution, and conservation, covering most reptile species in the region.