Comparative myology of Leiosauridae (Squamata) and its bearing on their phylogenetic relationships

V. ABDALA; A. MANZANO; L. NIETO AND R. DIOGO

BELGIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

Lugar: Antwerp; Año: 2009 vol. 139 p. 109 - 123

0777-6276

Herein we present a study of the myological structures of the leiosaurids, a family of ecologically diverse lizards that inhabits southern South America. Our first goal is to help having a better understanding of the anatomical structures of leiosaurids and the related polychrotids Anolis, Polychrus, as well as to examine the role of myological characters and their contribution for phylogenetic reconstructions in a broader morphological and evolutionary context. In order to study these myological features in a phylogenetic context, we assembled a matrix of 162 characters of cranial and postcranial musculature, and examined their phylogenetic information. These characters are cladistically analyzed in a data set including all leiosaurids genera. We combined and contrasted our own muscular data with the morphological data of Frost et al. (2001), in order to complement the evidence provided by myology with that provided by osteological and external features. A discussion on certain remarkable myological features that were not previously recorded and that were found in some of the ecologically diverse leiosaurids examined is provided. It is hoped that this work could therefore not only increase the knowledge of the comparative anatomy and phylogeny of leiosaurids, but also pave the way for future works regarding the comparative anatomy, functional morphology, evolution, and/or phylogeny of lizards in general.