Body proportions, microhabitat selection, and adaptive radiation of Liolaemus lizards in central Chile.

A biometric analysis of body proportions with presumably functional meaning for microhabitat selection was made on 12 species of Liolaemus lizards in central Chile. Characters studied were forelimb length, hindlimb length, tail length (all standardized by the corresponding snout-vent length), and the ratio forelimb/hindlimb length. It is shown that irrespective of terrestrial, saxicolous, or arboreal habits, Liolaemus species are remarkably similar in body proportions.