Liolaemus Darwinii (Darwin’s Tree Iguana): Kyphoscoliosis

Abstract

On 16 February 2019 we collected an adult female L. darwinii (26.9 g, 40.1 mm SVL) from a pitfall trap with a severe case of kyphoscoliosis (Fig. 1) from the Médanos Grandes area, Caucete Department, San Juan, Argentina (31.7046°S, 68.1612°W; WGS 84; 660 m elev.). This individual exhibited two curvatures in the spine in the lateral and dorsoventral planes, one posteriorly just in front of the pelvis, as well as eight lateral curves, or scoliosis, in the tail, the other in the anterior dorsal region behind the scapulae. Before euthanizing the lizard, we tested its locomotor ability by forcing it to run. It was able to move and run without apparent problems, although the movements of the body and tail were more rigid than that of a normal individual.