Mitchell's monitor lizard

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Mitchell's monitor lizard
Varanus mitchelli.jpg

Mitchell's monitor lizard ( Varanus mitchelli )

Systematics
without rank: Toxicofera
without rank: Sneaky (Anguimorpha)
Family : Varanidae
Genre : Monitor lizards ( varanus )
Subgenus : Odatria
Type : Mitchell's monitor lizard
Scientific name
Varanus mitchelli
Mertens , 1958

The Mitchell's Water Monitor ( Varanus mitchelli ) is a type of monitor lizards , the endemic in Australia is. It belongs to the subgenus Odatria . This species was first described in 1958 by the German biologist Mertens .

Physique and appearance

The total body length of the Mitchell Waran is around 60 cm when fully grown. The tail alone is 1.7 to 2.2 times as long as the head-trunk length . The color of the Mitchell monitor is dark brown to blue-black or blackish on the upper side. The head is speckled with cream or yellow spots. Her body is adorned with countless yellowish spots, dots and small ocels, each of which has a black central spot. Your yellowish temporal stripe is only indistinctly perceptible. In contrast, the sides of the neck and throat are lemon yellow with black spots or spots. A black bar can be seen on her lower jaw . The skin below the eye is bright yellow. All four limbs are black on top with yellow spots. The basic color of the tail is black with countless small yellow or cream-colored spots. The ventral side of V. mitchelli is cream-colored with a greenish tinge. The scales of the head are mostly smooth. The nostril is on the side of the snout, pointing upwards. It is a little closer to the tip of the snout than to the eye. 90 to 130 rows of scales are arranged around the middle of the body. The tail is visibly flattened at the tip, although it is circular at the base. A very noticeable double keel is present on top of the tail base. The tail scales are arranged in regular rings, these occasionally being incomplete on the sides.

distribution and habitat

The distribution area of V. mitchelli is in tropical northern Australia from Derby in the west to Borroloola in the east. The animals have already been spotted on the Daly River , in the Kununurra area and around Wyndham . The Mitchell's monitor lizard has always been viewed as a small representative of the water monitor, but its habitat means that it is more of a tree dweller. However, it is often found near water. But he is not dependent on the water to the same extent as z. B. the Mertens water monitor ( Varanus mertensi ). Mitchell's monitor lizard can be found near swamps , lagoons , mangrove forests , rivers and other bodies of water. His preferred retreats are tree hollows and places under dead bark . Mitchell's monitor lizard is kept in captivity at the Taronga Zoo ( Sydney ).

nutrition

Stomach content examinations revealed arachnids , crickets , beetles , fish , crustaceans , frogs , skinks and mice . Their hunting behavior has not yet been adequately researched.

Systematics

Varanus mitchelli was previously listed in the subgenus Varanus because it has a slightly flattened tail . BÖHME (1988, 1993) assigned the Mitchell's monitor lizard to the subgenus Odatria on the basis of genital morphological findings . Its tail, which is round in cross section at the base, was another reason for incorporation into the subgenus Odatria . The specific epithet honors Francis J. Mitchell from the South Australian Museum .

literature

  • Storr, GM (1980): The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 8 (2) 1980: 237-293.
  • Eidenmüller, B. (2007): Small monitors in the terrarium. Reptilia (GB) (50): 12-19.
  • Bennet, DF (2003): Australian monitor lizards. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (5): 18-25.
  • Bonetti. (2002): 100 Sauri. Mondadori (Milano), 192 pp.
  • Ávalos, J. DE & MARTINEZ CARRIÒN, P. (1997): Warane Reptilia (Münster) 2 (5): 16 - 21.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Literature from MERTENS 1958, KEAST 1959, WORRELL 1966, BUSTARD 1968, SWANSON 1976, STORR 1980, STORR et al. 1983b, WILSON & KNOWLES 1988, HOSER 1989, COGGER 1992, EHMANN 1992
  2. ↑ Description of the distribution and habitat of Mitchell's Waran ( Memento from May 30, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Distribution and habitat of the Mitchell monitor lizard on mampam.com
  4. ↑ Mitchell's monitor lizard at Taronga Zoo ( Memento of the original from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. taronga.org.au @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / taronga.org.au
  5. ↑ Literature by Eric R. Pianka, Dennis King, Ruth Allen King (2004). Varanoid lizards of the world . Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34366-6 . Retrieved July 4, 2010.