Phylum Chordata Rank Genus | Suborder Iguania Scientific name Liolaemus Higher classification Tropiduridae Order Scaled reptiles | |
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Lower classifications Liolaemus lemniscatus, Liolaemus nitidus, Liolaemus lutzae, Liolaemus fuscus, Liolaemus constanzae | ||
Liolaemus is a genus of iguanian lizards, containing many species, all of which are endemic to South America.
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Description
Members of this genus form a dominant part of the lizard fauna of the southern part of the continent of South America, and vary considerably in size (45–100 millimetres or 1.8–3.9 inches snout–vent length) and weight (3–200 grams or 0.1–7.1 ounces).
Geographic range
Liolaemus species are found in the Andes and adjacent lowlands, from Peru to Tierra del Fuego, at altitudes that can exceed 4,500 metres (14,800 ft).
Diet
Most are omnivorous, but a few purely insectivorous and herbivorous species are known.
Species
There are more than 225 described species, but the true number of species may be about double this number. Liolaemus is by far the largest genus of the liolaemid lizards, which are traditionally treated as subfamily Liolaeminae within the Iguanidae but more recently were proposed for upranking to full family Liolaemidae.
The following species are recognised:
Pets
Some species of Liolaemus have been recently kept as pets, and as many of them originate from regions that experience cold conditions, they are named "snow swifts". More generally, the genus is known as "tree iguanas".
