Aspects of the thermal ecology of liolaemus etheridgei laurent, 1998 (Reptilia: Liolaemidae) from the Andes of Peru

Llanqui I.B. · Herpetology Notes (2020)

Resumen

Liolaemus etheridgei is a lizard distributed in the Andes of southern Peru with very little knowledge about its thermal ecology. Thus, this study sought to report aspects of thermal ecology using field data on body temperature (Tb), air temperature (Ta), and substrate temperature at capture points (Ts). The variabilities of temperatures were estimated. Likewise, all temperatures were compared, and the relationships between them were determined through correlation analyses. L. etheridgei showed a labile Tb (26.03 ± 1.81 ºC, Range: 18-34.6 ºC), suggesting that it is a thermal generalist. Mean Tb was 6.28 ºC (± 4.46) higher than Ta, but similar to Ts. There was a significant correlation between Ta and Tb (r = 0.624, P < 0.001), but not between Ts and Tb (r = 0.278, P = 0.1), thus indicating that L. etheridgei would most likely be a heliothermic rather than a thigmothermic species. This study represents the first effort to understand the thermal ecology of L. etheridgei.

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa