Yemen monitor lizard
| Yemen monitor lizard | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Varanus yemenensis | ||||||||||||
| Böhme , Joger & Schätti , 1989 |
The Yemen monitor lizard ( Varanus yemenensis ) belongs to the genus monitor lizard and was accidentally discovered as a species by Wolfgang Böhme from the Museum Alexander Koenig in 1985 during a television report on Yemen .
features
Yemen monitor lizards are strongly built and up to 115 centimeters long, the only known young of the Yemen monitor lizard measured 14.5 centimeters from the snout to the base of the tail, the tail was 32 centimeters long. The nasal, temporal and parietal areas are swollen, the oblique and slit-like nostril sits right in front of the eyes. Yemen dragons are dark brown and marked with bands that are more or less pronounced depending on the individual. The tail also has dark bands, is compressed laterally, and has a median crest. A characteristic feature of the Yemen monitor lizard are striking yellow bands over the snout. These bands are black in specimens from the highlands near Ta'izz.
Occurrence
The Yemen monitor lizard lives mainly on the southwest coast of the Arabian Peninsula from Ta'izz and Al Khobar (Yemen) to the south of Wadi Maraba and the foothills of the southwestern Arabian mountain range. It occurs at altitudes of 300 to 1800 meters and is absent in the coastal lowlands. The animals live mainly in savannah-like areas or lighter forests, the bottom of which consists mostly of sand and stones.
Way of life
The Yemen monitor lizard is a ground dweller who rarely climbs trees. He uses his burrows, which are either self-dug or of natural origin in rocks or hollow trees, to seek protection. It is hardly active during the dry season; this phase runs from January to March, but it is very active in October. Contrary to what many locals claim, the Yemen monitor lizard is diurnal, especially in the morning and afternoon; the peak of activity is shortly after 4:00 p.m.
The monitor lizard actively searches for insects and snails for food , especially under stones, on trees, in other vegetation and in shallow water. Captive animals ate mice , chickens , other birds, fish, crickets and dog food.
The Yemen dragon is regularly attacked by two types of ticks. These are Amblyomma sparsum and Aponomma flavomaculatum . Nothing is known about reproduction and other aspects.
history
Individual specimens were captured as early as the 19th century and had been stored in the British Museum since 1903 and 1906. These specimens were probably incorrectly labeled; they were believed to be from Africa.
The species was first discovered in 1988 by Wolfgang Böhme et al. described under the name Varanus yemensis . The discovery took place in a curious way: two years before the first description, Wolfgang Böhme discovered a monitor lizard that had been recorded there and had not yet been described in a TV documentary about the nature of Yemen. A few months later, the species was brought to Europe. The holotype is currently in the Zoological Research Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn.
swell
- Wolfgang Böhme: Varanus yemensis . In: Eric Pianka & Dennis King (Eds.): Varanoid lizards of the world . Indiana University Press, published 2004; Pp. 143-146. ISBN 0-253-34366-6
Web links
- Varanus yemenensis in The Reptile Database
- Varanus yemenensis inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Sindaco, R., Busais, SMS, Al Jumaily, MM, Böhme, W., Sweet, S. & Bennett, D., 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2013.