Liolaemus fabiani | |
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Liolaemus fabiani in the Salar de Atacama | |
Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Liolaemidae |
Genus: | Liolaemus |
Species: | L. fabiani
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Binomial name | |
Liolaemus fabiani | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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Liolaemus fabiani, also known commonly as Fabian's lizard, Yanez's tree iguana, and lagartija de Fabián in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Liolaemidae. [3] The species is native to Chile.
The specific name, fabiani, is in honor of Chilean ecologist Fabián Jaksic. [4]
L. fabiani is endemic to the Salar de Atacama, the Atacama salt flat, in northern Chile. [5]
The species was first described by José L. Yáñez and Herman Núñez in 1983, from a sample collected at a high elevation, 2,450 m (8,040 ft), near San Pedro de Atacama in Llano de Vilama in September 1981 by the Chilean National Museum of Natural History. [6]
The preferred natural habitat of L. fabiani is hot desert, at altitudes of 2,300–3,000 m (7,500–9,800 ft), where it is found near water, and has been observed swimming in search of prey. [1]
Principle diagnostic features of L. fabiani are: "subtriangular head with temporal and occipital regions more prominent than in other species of the genus; dorsal humeral scales smooth and triangular; color pattern ornamented with red and black spots." [6]
L. fabiani preys upon mosquitoes and other insects. [1]
L. fabiani is viviparous. [2]