Species diversity and habitat characteristics of butterfly lizards (Leiolepis spp.) in Thailand

Abstract

Species diversity, distribution range, habitat characteristics, morphological variations, and karyotypes of the butterfly lizards in Thailand were studied. Three species were found, including Leiolepis belliana (with two subspecies, Leiolepis belliana ocellata and Leiolepis belliana belliana), Leiolepis reevesii rubritaeniata, and Leiolepis boehmei. L. b. ocellata was found in upper northern Thailand. L. b. belliana distributed widely from northern to western, eastern and southern Thailand whereas L. r. rubritaeniata was found only in the northeast. L. boehmei, all were adult females, inhabited in Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat Provinces, southern Thailand. Butterfly lizards (n=65) were found in the open sandy areas of the flat terrain. The area with two sympatric species was not evident. Variations in the body color and stripe patterns could be used to identify species and subspecies of butterfly lizards found in Thailand. Thirty-one morphological characters were measured and analyzed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Twenty-five characters were significantly different among species and between sexes. A key to the butterfly lizard species was provided on the basis of the external morphological characters. Two subspecies of butterfly lizards, L. b. belliana and L. r. rubritaeniata, had the chromosome numbers 2n = 36, consisting of six pairs of macrochromosomes and twelve pairs of microchromosomes, confirming the results reported by previous authors. L. b. ocellata and L. boehmei chromosomes were examined for the first time. They had 2n = 34 chromosomes, comprising of six pairs of macrochromosomes and eleven pairs of microchromosomes. The result suggests that L. boehmei is a diploid parthenogenetic species but the origin remains unsolved. Furthermore, L. b. ocellata should be considered a separate species from L. b. belliana due to their difference in chromosome numbers. No sex chromosome heteromorphisms were evident in all Leiolepis species.