Rhytidodeira Laurent 1985b: 7
Liolaemus Cei 1986: 187
Etheridge 1995: 32
Etheridge & Espinoza 2000: 5
Donosolaemus Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez 2005: 59
Liolaemus archeforus Donoso-Barros & Cei 1971
archeforus
kingii
Liolaemus
A monographic catalogue on the systematics and phylogeny of the South American iguanian lizard family Liolaemidae (Squamata, Iguania)
Pincheira-Donoso, Daniel
Scolaro, J. Alejandro
Sura, Piotr
Zootaxa
2008
2008-06-16
1800
1
85
Pincheira-Donoso & Nunez
Pincheira-Donoso & Nunez
2005
[279,807,1250,1276]
Reptilia
Liolaemidae
Liolaemus
Animalia
Squamata
33
34
Chordata
subGenus
Donosolaemus
Rhytidodeira Laurent 1985b: 7(invalid designation; see below). Liolaemus Cei 1986: 187; Etheridge 1995: 32; Etheridge & Espinoza 2000: 5. Donosolaemus Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez 2005: 59( typespecies: Liolaemus archeforus Donoso-Barros & Cei 1971). This group of patagonian lizards, commonly recognized as archeforus-kingiigroup (see Scolaro & Cei 1997; Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez 2005), has a controversial and complex nomenclatural and systematic history. Over the last few decades, some authors have identified a series of phenotypic traits observed in a unique combination in these species ( Laurent 1985b; Cei 1986; Scolaro & Cei 1997; Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez 2005). Interestingly, recent phylogenetic hypotheses based on both molecular and morphological variables have also suggested that lizards belonging to the groups archeforusand kingiiwould represent a monophyletic clade within the genus Liolaemus( e.g. Schulte et al.2000; Espinoza et al.2004).
The first explicit proposal suggesting that the groups archeforusand kingiishould be formally placed in a separate lineage was provided by Laurent (1985b), who resurrected the genus Rhytidodeiraestablished long before by Girard (1858a)for a series of Liolaemusspecies ( Etheridge 1995). Laurent (1985b)designated Liolaemus kingii(Bell)as the typespecies for this genus, in which also included L. archeforusand L. ruizleali(see Donoso-Barros & Cei 1971), this last taxon conspecific to L. rothi( Cei & Scolaro 1987; see also Etheridge & Espinoza 2000) and belonging to the unrelated clade fitzingerii( Schulte et al.2000; PincheiraDonoso et al.2007a; Fig. 4). However, Etheridge (1995)returned Rhytidodeirato the synonymy of the Liolaemusgenus, arguing that “ Liolaemus kingiiand L. archeforushave all of the synapomorphies that diagnose Liolaemus, and, according to Laurent (1985b), differ from other Liolaemusin being "primitive." No derived characters are known to unite L. kingiiand L. archeforus, the species assigned to Rhytidodeiraby Laurent (1985)”. More recently, Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez (2005)studied a large subset of exomorphological, anatomical and biogeographical characteristics of the groups archeforusand kingii, and concluded that they should be placed in a separate lineage, in agreement with Laurent (1985b). Nevertheless, in contrast to Laurent’s (1985b)opinion, these authors suggested that the subgenus Rhytidodeiramay not be valid for L. kingiiand for the remaining species belonging to the archeforusand kingiigroups, because in a previous study Donoso-Barros (1970b)had already designated Liolaemus bibroniias the typetaxon for Rhytidodeira, a species belonging to the Liolaemussubgenus (or chiliensisclade; see above). According to the article 69.1 of the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature (2000), if an author establishes a genus or subgenus with no official designation of a typespecies, the first later explicit designation of a typespecies from one of the taxa originally included as members of that genus or subgenus is the only valid typespecies for that genus or subgenus, and any other typespecies designated later is not valid. Consequently, the only valid typespecies for Rhytidodeirais Liolaemus bibronii(included in this genus by Girard 1858a, as Proctotretus bibronii). Since Rhytidodeirais therefore a synonym of the subgenus Liolaemus, Pincheira-Donoso & Núñez (2005)proposed for the species belonging to the groups archeforusand kingii(see Scolaro & Cei 1997) the subgenus Donosolaemus. These authors designated Liolaemus archeforusDonoso-Barros & Ceias the typespecies for Donosolaemus, in which also included L. bagualiCei & Scolaro, L. escarchadosiScolaro & Cei, L. gallardoiCei & Scolaro, L. kingii(Bell), L. sarmientoiDonoso-Barros, L. scolaroiPincheira-Donoso & Núñez, L. somuncuraeCei & Scolaro, L. tariScolaro & Cei, L. tristisScolaro & Cei, and L. zullyiCei & Scolaro(it was also recently included in this lineage the species L. uptoni Scolaro & Cei 2006; see below). Due to these nomenclatural aspects established in the International Code for Zoological Nomenclature, the valid subgeneric name for these Patagonian Liolaemuslizards is Donosolaemus.