The True Identity of the New World Iguanid Lizard Liolaemus chillanensis Muller and Hellmich 1932 (Iguania: Liolaemidae) and Description of a New Species in the Liolaemus elongatus Group

Abstract

Liolaemus is a particularly species-rich radiation of New World iguanid lizards from southern South America. Thanks to intense systematic and taxonomic research, the knowledge on its species-level diversity has increased rapidly over the past several years. The L. elongatus species-complex has received considerable attention and a remarkable case is Liolaemus chillanensis, a name that has been used for two different species that are sympatric in Termas de Chillán, central Chile. Since the holotype is lost, we propose that the first step to identify the true L. chillanensis is through the analysis of the original description. Then we provide a morphological and molecular characterization of L. chillanensis based on topotypes and a description of the taxon previously confused with it.