Checklist of lizards and amphisbaenians of Argentina: an update

We update the list of lizards of Argentina, reporting a total of 261 species from the country, arranged in 27 genera and 10 families. Introduced species and dubious or erroneous records are discussed. Taxonomic, nomenclatural and distributional comments are provided when required. Considering species of probable occurrence in the country (known to occur in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay at localities very close to the Argentinean border) and still undescribed taxa, we estimate that the total number of species in Argentina could exceed 300 in the next few years.Fil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, L.e.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Reptiles of Chubut province, Argentina: richness, diversity, conservation status and geographic distribution maps

An accurate estimation of species and population geographic ranges is essential for species-focused studies and conservation and management plans. Knowledge of the geographic distributions of reptiles from Patagonian Argentina is in general limited and dispersed over manuscripts from a wide variety of topics. We completed an extensive review of reptile species of central Patagonia (Argentina) based on information from a wide variety of sources. We compiled and checked geographic distribution records from published literature and museum records, including extensive new data from the LJAMM-CNP (CENPAT-CONICET) herpetological collection. Our results show that there are 52 taxa recorded for this region and the highest species richness was seen in the families Liolaemidae and Dipsadidae with 31 and 10 species, respectively. The Patagónica was the phytogeographic province most diverse in species and Phymaturus was the genus of conservation concern most strongly associated with it. We present a detailed species list with geographical information, richness species, diversity analyses with comparisons across phytogeographical provinces, conservation status, taxonomic comments and distribution maps for all of these taxa.Fil: Minoli, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

New records of Pristidactylus nigroiugulus Cei, Scolaro & Videla, 2001 (squamata: Leiosauridae) with a geographic distribution map

We provide new geographic records for Pristidactylus nigroiugulus Cei, Scolaro & Videla, 2001 from Argentina. We present the first record for Santa Cruz province and the southernmost records of the species based on lizards collected in the austral summers of 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. Based on a museum specimen, we extend the species distribution to the eastern part of the Somuncurá Plateau. An updated distributional map is included.Fil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Minoli, Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Cristian Hernan Fulvio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Marin, Maria Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; Argentin

Past and present taxonomy of the Liolaemus lineomaculatus section (Liolaemidae): is the morphological arrangement hypothesis valid?

Twenty-one species of lizards are included in the southernmost clade of South America, the Liolaemus lineomaculatus section. There are two hypotheses of species-grouping within this section, one based on morphological similarities and the other based on molecular phylogenetic relationships; although discordant, both are in use. The ‘morphological arrangement hypothesis’, which sorts the species of the section in three groups, was proposed ~30 years ago; however, despite taxonomic changes and almost doubling the species diversity of this section since then, the hypothesis has never been tested. Here, we (1) present an updated chronological review of taxonomic changes, species descriptions, morphological groups, and genetic clades proposed for the L. lineomaculatus section, and (2) evaluate the accuracy of the ‘morphological arrangement hypothesis’. We show that the traditional practice of classifying 11 of these species in two of the three traditional morphological groups of the section (Liolaemus kingii and Liolaemus archeforus), which is not supported by molecular data, is also not supported by morphological data, and therefore should be abandoned; we suggest referring to this group of species as the L. kingii group. We characterized the Liolaemus magellanicus group based on morphology, and extend the previously published morphological characteristics of the L. lineomaculatus group. Finally, we comment on future prospects for studies of sexual dimorphism and its possible ecological implications. This paper provides a critical synthesis of our understanding of the morphological and phylogenetic patterns within the L. lineomaculatus section and presents a useful framework for future tests of taxonomic hypotheses and physiological, behavioural, and evolutionary questions within this sectionFil: Breitman, Maria Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Linear and geometric morphology in a group of Patagonian lizards of the genus Phymaturus (Squamata: Liolaemini)

El concepto de especie propuesto por De Queiroz (1998) proporciona un contexto para inferir la separación de linajes a partir de la integración de diferentes fuentes de información. La mayoría de las especies del género Phymaturus fueron descritas con base en unos pocos caracteres morfológicos y la validez de algunas de ellas ha sido cuestionada. Investigaciones recientes revalidan algunas especies antiguas, mientras que otras sugieren sinonimias entre algunas recientemente descritas. En el presente trabajo se implementa por primera vez para este género la aproximación metodológica de la morfometría geométrica para evaluar la variación de la forma entre las especies del grupo Phymaturus calcogaster, con el objetivo de aportar una nueva fuente de evidencia al análisis de las hipótesis de especie. También se analizan caracteres morfométricos lineales típicamente utilizados para la descripción de especies. Los resultados de estas 2 aproximaciones metodológicas complementarias se discuten desde una perspectiva integradora, ya que proporciona un nivel de confianza mayor en las hipótesis de especies que aquellas propuestas con base en un solo tipo de evidencia. Nuestros resultados aportan evidencia independiente que apoya las hipótesis de especies propuestas con base en morfología clásica, y también es congruente con los linajes identificados con base en datos moleculares.The species concept of De Queiroz (1998) provides a context to infer different lineages based on different integrated sources of information. Most species of the genus Phymaturus were described based on a few morphological characters and the validity of some have been questioned. Recent research revalidated some old species, while others suggest synonyms for some recently described. In this paper, we use the methodological approach of geometric morphometry to evaluate the variation in shape among species of the Phymaturus calcogaster group with the objective to provide a new source of evidence for the analysis of these species’ hypothesis. We also studied linear morphometric analysis typically used to describe species. We discuss the results of these 2 complementary methodological approaches with an integrative perspective. We consider that it provides a higher level of confidence in the species’ hypothesis than those proposals based on a single type of evidence. Our results provide independent evidence that supports the previously proposed species based on classical morphology, and they are also consistent with the lineages identified based on molecular data.Fil: Gonzalez Marin, Maria Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; Argentin

How important is it to consider lineage diversification heterogeneity in macroevolutionary studies? Lessons from the lizard family Liolaemidae

Macroevolutionary and biogeographical studies commonly apply multiple models to test state-dependent diversification. These models track the association between states of interest along a phylogeny, although many of them do not consider whether different clades might be evolving under different evolutionary drivers. Yet, they are still commonly applied to empirical studies without careful consideration of possible lineage diversification heterogeneity along the phylogenetic tree. A recent biogeographic study has suggested that orogenic uplift of the southern Andes has acted as a species pump, driving diversification of the lizard family Liolaemidae (307 described species), native to temperate southern South America. Here, we argue against the Andean uplift as main driver of evolution in this group. We show that there is a clear pattern of heterogeneous diversification in the Liolaemidae, which biases state- and environment-dependent analyses in, respectively, the GeoSSE and RPANDA programs. We show here that there are two shifts to accelerated speciation rates involving two clades that have both been classified as having Andean distributions. We incorporated the Geographic Hidden-State Speciation and Extinction model (GeoHiSSE) to accommodate unrelated diversification shifts, and also re-analyzed the data in RPANDA program after splitting biologically distinct clades for separate analyses, as well as including a more appropriate set of models. We demonstrate that the ?Andean uplift? hypothesis is not supported when the heterogeneous diversification histories among these lizards is considered. We use the Liolaemidae as an ideal system to demonstrate potential risks of ignoring clade-specific differences in diversification patterns in macroevolutionary studies. We also implemented simulations to show that, in agreement with previous findings, the HiSSE approach can effectively and substantially reduce the level of distribution- dependent models receiving the highest AIC weights in such scenarios. However, we still find a relatively high rate (15%) of distribution-dependent models receiving the highest AIC weights, and provide recommendations related to the set of models included in the analyses that reduce these rates by half. Finally, we demonstrate that trees including clades following different dependent-drivers affect RPANDA analyses by producing different outcomes, ranging from partially correct models to completely misleading results. We provide recommendations for the implementation of both programs.Fil: Olave, Melisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de las Zonas Áridas; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Sites, Jack W.. University Brigham Young; Estados UnidosFil: Morando, Mariana. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; Argentin

Model-based approach to test hard polytomies in the Eulaemus clade of the most diverse South American lizard genus Liolaemus (Liolaemini, Squamata)

Lack of resolution in a phylogenetic tree is usually represented as a polytomy, and often adding more data (loci and taxa) resolves the species tree. These are the ‘soft’ polytomies, but in other cases additional data fail to resolve relationships; these are the ‘hard’ polytomies. This latter case is often interpreted as a simultaneous radiation of lineages in the history of a clade. Although hard polytomies are difficult to address, model-based approaches provide new tools to test these hypotheses. Here, we used a clade of 144 species of the South American lizard clade Eulaemus to estimate phylogenies using a traditional concatenated matrix and three species tree methods: *BEAST, BEST, and minimizing deep coalescences (MDC). The different species tree methods recovered largely discordant results, but all resolved the same polytomy (e.g. very short internodes amongst lineages and low nodal support in Bayesian methods). We simulated data sets under eight explicit evolutionary models (including hard polytomies), tested these against empirical data (a total of 14 loci), and found support for two polytomies as the most plausible hypothesis for diversification of this clade. We discuss the performance of these methods and their limitations under the challenging scenario of hard polytomies.Fil: Olave, Melisa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Sites, Jack W.. University Brigham Young; Estados UnidosFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin

Description of a new species of Homonota (Reptilia, Squamata, Phyllodactylidae) from the central region of northern Paraguay

Homonota is a gecko distributed in central and southern South America with 12 species allocated in three groups. In this work, we performed molecular and morphological analyses of samples of Homonota from the central region of northern Paraguay, comparing the data with those of related species of the group: H. horrida and H. septentrionalis. We found strong molecular evidence (based on 16S, Cyt-b, and PRLR gene sequences) to distinguish this lineage as a new species. Morphological statistical analysis showed that females of the three species are different in metric characters (SVL and TL as the most contributing variables), whereas males are less differentiated. No robust differences were found in meristic characters. The most remarkable trait for the diagnosis of the new species is the presence of well-developed keeled tubercles on the sides of the neck, and lack of a white band (crescent-shaped) in the occipital area, which is present in H. horrida and H. septentrionalis. Nevertheless, in our sample, we found three specimens (one juvenile and two young adults) that exhibit the white occipital band. Thus, this character seems only reliable in adults of the new species. The new species is parapatric to H. septentrionalis, both inhabiting the Dry Chaco of Paraguay.Fil: Cacciali Sosa, Pier. Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut Und Naturmuseum; Alemania. Goethe Universitat Frankfurt; Alemania. Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay; ParaguayFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Köhler, Gunther. Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut Und Naturmuseum; Alemania. Goethe Universitat Frankfurt; Alemani

New records of <i>Liolaemus grosseorum</i> Etheridge, 2001 (Squamata, Liolaemini) in Neuquén and La Pampa Provinces, Argentina

The geographic range of Liolaemus grosseorum Etheridge, 2001 is extended to southern Neuquén province, in northwestern Patagonia and to central La Pampa Province. These new records extended 100 km southwest and 200 km east the known geographic distribution range of the species.El rango de distribución geográfica de Liolaemus grosseorum Etheridge, 2001 es extendido hacia el sur de la provincial de Neuquén, en el noroeste de Patagonia y hacia el este de La Pampa central. Estos nuevos registros extienden 100 km al suroreste y 200 km hacia el este el rango de distribución geográfica conocido para la especie.Asociación Herpetológica Argentin

Accuracy and Precision of Species Trees: Effects of Locus, Individual, and Base Pair Sampling on Inference of Species Trees in Lizards of the Liolaemus darwinii Group (Squamata, Liolaemidae)

Molecular phylogenetics has entered a new era in which species trees are estimated from a collection of gene trees using methods that accommodate their heterogeneity and discordance with the species tree. Empirical evaluation of species trees is necessary to assess the performance (i.e., accuracy and precision) of these methods with real data, which consists of gene genealogies likely shaped by different historical and demographic processes. We analyzed 20 loci for 16 species of the South American lizards of the Liolaemus darwinii species group and reconstructed a species tree with *BEAST, then compared the performance of this method under different sampling strategies of loci, individuals, and sequence lengths. We found an increase in the accuracy and precision of species trees with the number of loci, but for any number of loci, accuracy substantially decreased only when using only one individual per species or 25% of the full sequence length (~147 base-pairs). In addition, locus ´informativeness´ was an important factor in the accuracy/precision of species trees when using a few loci, but it became increasingly irrelevant with additional loci. Our empirical results combined with previous simulation studies suggest that there is an optimal range of sampling effort of loci, individuals, and sequence lengths for a given speciation history and information content of the data. Future studies should be directed towards further assessment of other factors that can impact performance of species trees, including gene flow, locus ´informativeness´, tree shape, missing data, and errors in species delimitation.Fil: Camargo Bentaberry, Arley. University Brigham Young; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Morando, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Sites, Jack W.. University Brigham Young; Estados Unido