Renell Island Monitor Lizard
| Renell Island Monitor Lizard | ||||||||||||
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| Varanus juxtindicus | ||||||||||||
| Böhme , Philipp & Ziegler , 2002 |
The Renell Island Monitor Lizard ( Varanus juxtindicus ) (Eng. "Rennell Island monitor" or "Hakoi Monitor") is a type of monitor lizard from the subgenus Euprepiosaurus . The species lives exclusively on the west Pacific island of Rennell . The first description was made in 2002 by the German zoologist and herpetologist Böhme , Philipp & Ziegler .
description
The Renell Island Monitor Lizard can reach a length of 150 cm from the snout to the tip of the tail. With this stately size it is one of the larger monitor lizards . The base color of the upper side of a fully grown male is dark brown, with small yellow spots mottled. These points reach a maximum size of a scale . The pattern and coloring of the back is very similar to the Pacific monitor ( Varanus indicus ). The Renell Island Monitor Lizard differs from the other species of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus by the lack of blue coloring on the tail. Its tail is also not striped, but it has visible stripes on either side of the head. The throat of V. juxtindicus lacks any pattern. The tongue of the Renell island monitor only contains pigments at the tip and is otherwise very light. The first third of its tail is round in cross section and has no keel on the scales.
distribution
This species is endemic to Rennell , one of the smaller atoll islands of the Solomon Islands. It is found mainly near the small town Niupani 11 ° 44 ' S , 160 ° 26' O and the Tegano lake . McCoy (1980) describes a similar animal from Malau Olu , east of Makira , the easternmost island of the Solomon Islands . The identity of the new discovery has not yet been investigated. It could be a subspecies of Varanus juxtindicus .
literature
- Thomas Ziegler, Wolfgang Böhme, Andreas Schmitz: A new species of the Varanus indicus group (Squamata, Varanidae) from Halmahera Island, Moluccas: morphological and molecular evidence. In: Messages from the Museum of Natural History in Berlin. 83 (S1), 2007, pp. 109-119.
- W. Böhme: Checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (family Varanidae). (= Zoological negotiations. 341). 2003, ISBN 90-73239-86-9 , pp. 6-43. (Full text)
- M. McCoy: Reptiles of the Solomon Islands. (= Handbook / Wau Ecology Institute. 7). Wau Ecology Institute, Wau, Papua New Guinea 1980.
- W. Böhme, K. Philipp, T. Ziegler: Another new member of the Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) indicus group (Sauria, Varanidae): an undescribed species from Rennell Island, Solomon Islands. In: Salamandra. 38 (1), 2002, pp. 15-26.
- T. Ziegler, A. Schmitz, A. Koch, W. Böhme: A review of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for the members of the V. indicus and the V. prasinus species groups. In: Zootaxa. 1472, 2007, pp. 1-28.
- A. Koch, E. Arida, A. Schmitz, W. Böhme, T. Ziegler: Refining the polytypic species concept of mangrove monitors (Squamata: Varanus indicus group): a new cryptic species from the Talaud Islands, Indonesia, reveals the underestimated diversity of Indo-Australian monitor lizards. In: Australian Journal of Zoology. 57 (1), 2009, pp. 29-40.
Web links
- Renell Island Monitor Lizard on iucnredlist.org
- Varanus juxtindicus in The Reptile Database
- Renell Island Monitor Lizard on monitor-lizards.net
- Renell Island Monitor Lizard at inaturalist.org
- Klaus Wesiak, André Koch: Successful Husbandry and First Breeding of Varanus juxtindicus Böhme et al., 2002, with Remarks on the Development of Juveniles of this “Rarely-Kept” Endemic Solomon Monitor Species ( Memento from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Renell Island Monitor Lizard. In: Biawak. 3 (4), 2009, pp. 106-121. (on zfmk.de)
- Renell Island Monitor Lizard on indicus-complex.webs.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ T. Ziegler, A. Schmitz, A. Koch, W. Böhme: A review of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): Morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for the members of the V indicus and the V. prasinus species groups. In: Zootaxa. 1472, 2007, pp. 1-28. (PDF)
- ↑ Distribution of the Renell island monitor ( Memento of the original from May 19, 2010 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. on www.monitor-lizards.net
