Morphometric analyses of two geographically separated populations of Liolaemus cuyanus

BLUM, R.; STUERMER, I.W.; AVILA, L.J.

Puerto Madryn

Congreso; XIV Congreso Argentino de Herpetologia; 2013

Asociacion Herpetologica Argentina

Morphometric differences between populations and intraspecific sexual dimorphism were observed in two subpopulations of the sand dwelling lizard Liolaemus cuyanus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) in northwestern Argentina. Several external morphometric characters such as length characters and scale counts were studied in 120 adult individuals of L. cuyanus from a northern and southern population, which are geographically separated by a gap of almost 500 km. Males from the northern population had on average larger heads in relation to their snout-ventlengths as well as different head proportions compared to females from the same place and to males from the southern population. Males from the southern population had longer forehands in relation to their body lengths and a higher number of dorsal scales compared to northern males. Females from both populations were characterized by longer trunks (axilla-groin distance) in relation to their body lengths compared to males from the same place. In the southern population, males had especially longer extremities in relation to body length and different head proportions compared to the females. In both populations, precloacal pores were just observed in males. The results of this study concerning sexual dimorphism conform to the results found by other observers.Differences in squamation were absent or small between the two populations and between males and females. Morphological variation was not correlated with altitude, but some characters showed a correlation with the latitudinal gradient within the northern population. This is probably due to climatic conditions, population structure or other ecological factors.