Muscular characters in the phylogeny of Liolaemus (Squamata: Iguania: Liolaemidae): a reappraisal

VIRGINIA SARA LUZ ABDALA; ABDALA, C.; TULLI, M. J.

ZOOTAXA

Magnolia Press

Lugar: New Zealand; Año: 2006 vol. 1205 p. 55 - 68

1175-5326

    Liolaemus is one of the most speciosus genera of lizards, having more than 200 species. The proposed phylogenetic relationships of these lizards have been based on data-sets from many sources. In all of the morphological data-sets, three myological characters have been considered particularly important, related to limb and cranial musculature. Important taxonomic and anatomical questions about these characters remain: 1) Can the size of the m. puboisquiotibialis be scored with only two character states?; 2) Is there a close relationship between the hypertrophied m. flexor tibialis internus and the patch of the enlarged proximal postfemoral scales?, and 3) are these muscular characters exclusive to some of the groups of Liolaemus that have been proposed?. Focusing on these three questions, we have conducted a taxonomic and anatomic review of these characters in 42 species representing all of the proposed groups of Liolaemus. The analyzed samples show that variation in the considered muscular characters are much more gradual than previously stated. Although the coding we used is more complex, it shows more precisely the subtetly of the change in the character states.