Phymaturus

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Phymaturus
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Adult male of Phymaturus verdugo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Subclass:
(unranked):
Infraclass:
Superorder:
Order:
(unranked):
Suborder:
Family:
Liolaemidae (disputed)
Genus:
Phymaturus
Diversity
20 species

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Phymaturus is a genus of iguanian "lizards" of the family Liolaemidae, which is traditionally included in the Iguanidae as subfamily but more recently was proposed to warrant distinct family status. It is the mid-sized genus of its family, with 20 species altogether known as of 2008; new species are still being discovered however.[1]

They are found in the Andes region south to Patagonia and inhabit a variety of habitats. Their habits are mostly conserved from the ancestral iguanians, insofar as that Phymaturus are generally inhabitants of rocky ground that feed on plants and give birth to fully developed young.[1]

Systematics

The genus can be divided into two lineages, which probably represent clades:

flagellifer group

Superciliar scales not imbricate, more than four subocular scales, 3-4 rows of lorilabial scales, mental scale narrower than rostral scale and usually touching the sublabial scales. Tail spines well-developed, two annuli per segment.[1]

patagonicus group

Superciliar scales elongate and overlapping, one usually unfragmented subocular scale, tail smooth, Meckel's groove fused and closed.[1]

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Scolaro et al. (2008)
  2. 2.0 2.1 Avila et al. (2011).

References

  • Avila, Luciana Javier; Perez, Cristian Hernan Fulvio; Perez, Daniel Roberto & Morando, Mariana (2011): Two new mountain lizard species of the Phymaturus genus (Squamata: Iguania) from northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Zootaxa 2924: 1-21 [English with Spanish abstract]. PDF abstract
  • Scolaro, José Alejandro; Ibargüengoytía, Nora Ruth & Pincheira-Donoso, Daniel (2008): When starvation challenges the tradition of niche conservatism: On a new species of the saxicolous genus Phymaturus from Patagonia Argentina with pseudoarboreal foraging behaviour (Iguania, Liolaemidae). Zootaxa 1786: 48-60 [English with Spanish abstract]. PDF abstract


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