Liolaemus

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Genus of lizards

title: "Liolaemus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["liolaemus", "reptiles-of-south-america", "liolaemidae", "lizard-genera", "taxa-named-by-arend-friedrich-august-wiegmann"] description: "Genus of lizards" topic_path: "general/liolaemus" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liolaemus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of lizards ::

| image = Adult male Liolaemus nigromaculatus - ZooKeys-294-037-g006-B.jpeg | image_caption = Liolaemus nigromaculatus | taxon = Liolaemus | authority = Wiegmann, 1834 | type_species = Liolaemus nigromaculatus | type_species_authority = Wiegmann, 1834 | subdivision_ranks = Subgenera | subdivision = *Liolaemus (Liolaemus)

Liolaemus is a genus of iguanian lizards, containing many species, all of which are endemic to South America.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Blue-Green_Smooth-throated_Lizard,_San_Clemente,_Maule,_Chile_imported_from_iNaturalist_photo_87256437.jpg" caption="L. tenuis]]''"] ::

Members of the genus Liolaemus form a dominant part of the lizard fauna of the southern part of the continent of South America, and vary considerably in size (45 - snout–vent length) and weight (3 -).

Geographic range

Liolaemus species are found in the Andes and adjacent lowlands, from Peru to Tierra del Fuego, at altitudes that can exceed 4500 m. The genus has been recorded at 5,400 m above sea level on Chachani mountain, which is the highest recorded altitude for any reptile species.

| image1 = Liolaemus aff. tacnae (cropped 3).jpg | image2 = Liolaemus aff. tacnae (cropped 2).jpg | align = center | total_width = 630 | footer = Liolaemus aff. tacnae, photographed at 5,400 metres (17,700 feet) above sea level on Chachani mountain. This is the highest-altitude record for a reptile. Place of photography marked by a red arrow.

Liolaemus magellanicus and Liolaemus sarmientoi are the world's southernmost reptiles, living as far south as Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and the northern shores of the Strait of Magellan respectively.

Diet

Most species of Liolaemus are omnivorous, but a few purely insectivorous and herbivorous species are known.

Species

Main article: List of Liolaemus species

There are more than 225 described species in the genus Liolaemus, but the true number of species may be about double this number. Liolaemus is by far the largest genus of the liolaemid lizards, which are traditionally treated as subfamily Liolaeminae within the Iguanidae but more recently were proposed for upranking to full family Liolaemidae. There are many examples of taxonomic splitting within this genus which is largely due to both phylogenetic pitfalls and an effort to obtain conservation status.

Pets

Some species of Liolaemus have been recently kept as pets, and as many of them originate from regions that experience cold conditions, they are named "snow swifts". More generally, the genus is known as "tree iguanas".

References

References

  1. (2008). "New species of the iguanian lizard genus ''Liolaemus'' (Squamata, Iguania, Liolaemini) from Central Patagonia, Argentina". [[Journal of Herpetology]].
  2. "''Liolaemus'' Lizards".
  3. (January 2000). "Phylogenetic relationships in the iguanid lizard genus Liolaemus: multiple origins of viviparous reproduction and evidence for recurring Andean vicariance and dispersal". [[Biological Journal of the Linnean Society]].
  4. (2021-02-15). "A high mountain lizard from Peru: The world's highest-altitude reptile". Herpetozoa.
  5. (2019). "Impact of immunological state on eco-physiological variables in one of the southernmost lizards in the world". Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências.
  6. Jaksic, Fabián M.. (2022). "Historical account and current ecological knowledge of the southernmost lizard in the world, Liolaemus magellanicus (Squamata: Liolaemidae)". [[Revista Chilena de Historia Natural]].
  7. (2011). "Evidence of hybridization in the Argentinean lizards ''Liolaemus gracilis'' and ''Liolaemus bibronii'' (Iguania: Liolaemini): an integrative approach based on genes and morphology". [[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]].
  8. (2022). "Filling Linnean shortfalls increases endemicity patterns: conservation and biogeographical implications for the extreme case of Liolaemus (Liolaemidae, Squamata) species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

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liolaemusreptiles-of-south-americaliolaemidaelizard-generataxa-named-by-arend-friedrich-august-wiegmann