''Liolaemus fabiani'', also known
commonly as Fabian's lizard, Yanez's tree iguana, and ''lagartija de Fabián'' in Spanish, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Liolaemidae
Liolaemidae are a family of iguanian lizards. They were traditionally included in the family Iguanidae as subfamily Liolaeminae, which some more recent authors prefer to delimit in a more restricted way. This family is only found within South Ame ...
. The species is native to
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''fabiani'', is in honor of
Chilean ecologist
Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...
Fabián Jaksic.
Geographic range
''L. fabiani'' is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the
Salar de Atacama
Salar de Atacama, located south of San Pedro de Atacama, is the largest Salt pan (geology), salt flat in Chile. It is surrounded by mountains and lacks drainage outlets. To the east, it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the wes ...
, the
Atacama
The Atacama Desert () is a desert plateau located on the Pacific coast of South America, in the north of Chile. Stretching over a strip of land west of the Andes Mountains, it covers an area of , which increases to if the barren lower slopes ...
salt flat, in northern Chile.
[Escobar, Claudio M. et al. (2003)]
"Chemical Composition of Precloacal Secretions of Two ''Liolaemus fabiani'' Populations: Are They Different?"
''Journal of Chemical Ecology'' 29 (3): 629.
The species was first described by
José L. Yáñez and
Herman Núñez in 1983, from a sample collected at a high elevation, , near
San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province, Antofagasta Region. It is located east of Antofagasta, some 106 km (60 mi) southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine, overlooking the Licancabur volcan ...
in Llano de Vilama in September 1981 by the
Chilean National Museum of Natural History
The Chilean National Museum of Natural History ( or ) is one of three national museums in Chile, along with the Museum of Fine Arts and the National History Museum. It is located in Quinta Normal Park, and was founded in 1830 by the French natur ...
.
[ Yáñez, José L.; Núñez, Herman (1983]
"''Liolaemus fabiani'', a New Species of Lizard from Northern Chile (Reptilia: Iguanidae)"
''Copeia'' 1983 (3): 788-790.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
of ''L. fabiani'' is hot
desert
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...
, at altitudes of , where it is found near water, and has been observed swimming in search of prey.
Description
Principle diagnostic features of ''L. fabiani'' are: "subtriangular head with temporal and
occipital region
The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lobes of the cere ...
s more prominent than in other species of the genus;
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
The fus ...
humeral
The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extremity consists of ...
scales smooth and triangular; color pattern ornamented with red and black spots."
Diet
''L. fabiani''
preys upon
mosquito
Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...
es and other
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s.
Reproduction
''L. fabiani'' is
viviparous
In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
References
Further reading
*
Núñez H,
Yáñez J (1984). "Abas ''y'' Velosaura ''nuevos géneros de lagartos iguanidae y proposiciones sistemáticas respecto de los géneros aliados (Reptilia Squamata)'' ". ''Boletín del Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago de Chile'' 40: 91–95. (''Abas fabiani'', new combination). (in Spanish).
*
Ramírez-Leyton G,
Pincheira-Donoso D (2005). ''Fauna del Altiplano y Desierto Atacama: Vertebrados de la Provincia de El Loa''. Santiago de Chile: Phrynosaura Ediciones. 395 pp. (in Spanish).
External links
Photograph of ''L. fabiani''
fabiani
Lizards of South America
Endemic fauna of Chile
Reptiles of Chile
Atacama Desert
Reptiles described in 1983
{{Liolaemidae-stub