Spotted tree monitor

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Spotted tree monitor
Systematics
without rank: Toxicofera
without rank: Sneaky (Anguimorpha)
Family : Varanidae
Genre : Monitor lizards ( varanus )
Subgenus : Odatria
Type : Spotted tree monitor
Scientific name
Varanus similis
Mertens , 1958

The spotted tree monitor ( Varanus similis ) is a species of scale reptiles from the genus of monitor lizards ( Varanus ) endemic to Australia and New Guinea . Despite its common name "tree monitor", V. similis belongs to the subgenus Odatria . It was first described in 1958 by the German herpetologist Robert Mertens .

Appearance and build

With a total length of 65 cm, the spotted tree monitor is one of the smaller monitor species. The tail is about 1.5 times as long as the head-torso length . Small variations in appearance can be seen between populations. The animals from the north of the Northern Territory have small, bright ocells on their gray base color. Sometimes a dark central spot can be seen within the ocell. The specimens from Queensland have very large ocelles on their backs, which always have a dark central spot. These ocells are usually arranged in 6 to 9 transverse rows. Around the rows, individual light-colored scales are arranged alternately, forming a narrow band. The populations of the islands of the archipelago Sir Edward Pellew Islands and from the area of the Diamantina River in eastern Queensland have a slightly different drawing. The species name V. pellewensis introduced for this variation is not yet officially allowed to be used. This is because there is still no complete taxonomic treatment of the entire timorensis complex. In all specimens a black temporal stripe is visible, which is bordered by a light band at the bottom. The scales of the head are smooth and small. Your nostril is to the side and is roughly in the middle between the tip of the snout and the eye. Its muscular tail is almost round in cross-section. The animals from the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland show pronounced banding of the tail.

distribution

They live in tropical Northern Australia from Treachery Bay in the Northern Territory to south to central Queensland. In the northeast, the distribution area extends to the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland . They also live in the Torres Strait Islands and the southern regions of New Guinea . Numerous sightings of various specimens at the Corroboree Bilabong (NT) are often reported.

Habitat and way of life

V. similis is found almost exclusively on trees. It inhabits both the rainforests of the Cape York Peninsula and the sclerophyll - dry forests to the south . While foraging for food, Varanus similis can occasionally be seen on the ground. There he hunts for his prey such as insects , arachnids and sometimes small skinks . He eats almost everything he can discover under the leaves. At night the spotted tree monitors sleep in tree hollows or under the loose, dead bark of the trees.

literature

  • Hans-Peter Berghof, 2001. The care and reproduction of the small New Guinea tree monitor Varanus (Odatria) similis MERTENS 1958. Herpetofauna 23 (135): 5-13
  • W. Böhme, 2003. Checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (family Varanidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 341: 6-43 ISBN 9073239869 ( full text )
  • André Koch; Thomas Ziegler, Wolfgang Böhme and Mark Auliya 2013. Pressing Problems: Distribution, Threats, and Conservation Status of the Monitor Lizards (Varanidae: Varanus spp.) Of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 8 (Monograph 3): 1 - 62. ( full text )
  • R. Ruegg 1974. Offspring of the Timor tree monitor, Varanus timorensis similis Mertens, 1958. Aquarium with Aquaterra 8: 360-363 ( here )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ W. Böhme (2003): Checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (family Varanidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 341, pp. 3–43 ISBN 9073239869 ( full text ( memento of the original dated June 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove it Note. ) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.cites.org
  2. ↑ a b Hans-Peter Berghof: The dotted tree monitor: Varanus (Odatria) similis . NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-86659-117-2 , p. 64 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed January 20, 2017]).
  3. ↑ Distribution area of ​​the spotted tree monitor on a map (monitor world) ( Memento of the original from April 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.waranwelt.de
  4. ↑ Observing the animals in a video 's behavior and movement or aggressive behavior Video2