Liolaemus darwinii

Liolaemus darwinii
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Vertebrata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Sauria
Infraorder:	Iguania
Family:	Iguanidae
Genus:	Liolaemus
Species:	L. darwinii
Binomial name
Liolaemus darwinii (Bell, 1843)
Range map
Synonyms
Proctotretus darwinii Bell, 1843 Liolaemus darwinii — Gray, 1845 Eulaemus darwinii — Girard, 1857 Liolaemus darwinii — Boulenger, 1885[1]

Liolaemus darwinii is a species of iguanid lizard endemic to Argentina.

Etymology

The specific name, darwinii, is in honor of Charles Darwin, English naturalist and author of On the Origin of Species.^[2]

Description

The males are brown with two yellow dorsal stripes that run along the spine, one on each side of the back. The females are solely brown.

Diet

L. darwinii eats various insects 5 cm (2.0 in) or less in length, including beetles and locusts.

Behavior

They are diurnal. During nights and cold days, they bury underground. They are solitary animals and territorial. Males and females compete for territory.

Reproduction

Mating season is in mid-February, and the nesting time is 8 months later. The newborns are 5 cm (2.0 in) long, and the litter size is typically between 10 and 12.

References

1. "Liolaemus darwinii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
2. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Liolaemus darwinii, p. 65).

Further reading

• Bell T. 1843. The Zoology of H.M.S. Beagle, Under the Command of Captain Fitzroy, R.N., During the Years 1832 to 1836. London: Smith, Elder and Company. (Stewart and Murray, printers). vi + 51 pp. + Plates 1-20. (Proctotretus darwinii, new species, pp. 14–15 + Plate 7, Figures 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 2a).
• Boulenger GA. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. Iguanidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I-XXIV. ("Liolæmus darwinii ", p. 155).
• Donoso-Barros, Roberto. (1966). Reptiles de Chile. Santiago: Ediciones Universidad de Chile. 458 pp.