Banded tree monitor
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Banded tree monitor ( Varanus scalaris ) |
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| Mertens , 1941 |
The banded tree monitor ( Varanus scalaris ) is a species of scale reptiles from the genus of monitor lizards ( Varanus ) endemic to Australia . V. scalaris belongs to the subgenus Odatria . It was first described in 1941 by the German herpetologist Robert Mertens .
Appearance and build
With a total length of 65 cm, the banded tree monitor belongs to the small-grown monitor species. Their long tail reaches about 1.5 times the length of the head and torso . There are large variations in appearance between the individual populations. The population from the north-east of Western Australia and that from the Kimberley region have a pattern made up of many small, bright ocellae , which stand out due to their gray basic color. Some of the ocells have a dark central spot and are arranged in several transverse rows or form a network pattern. In most specimens, the throat is bright lemon yellow. The type copy by MERTENS (1941) had several dark transverse bands on its back. According to Robert Mertens, this variation seems to be common only north of Broome . In all banded tree monitors, a black temporal strip is visible, which is bordered by a light band at the bottom. Their scales are smooth and small. The nostril is on the side and closer to the tip of the snout than to the eye . 95-135 rows of scales are arranged around the middle of the body. Their muscular tail is almost circular in size. V. scalaris tail is banded in the area of the base, whereas the tip of the tail is mostly a monochrome dark gray.
distribution
The distribution area of Varanus scalaris extends over the tropical north of Australia from Broome in the west to the adjacent Northern Territory . There are frequent sightings at Lake Argyle ( WA ), in the Atherton Tablelands ( QLD ), in Almeden (QLD) and in the region around Darwin ( NT ).
The animals also live in some Australian national parks .
Habitat and way of life
The banded tree monitor is a tree dweller. It lives in the rainforest-like areas of the Kimberley as well as in the sclerophyll - dry forests of the adjacent outback . V. scalaris can have a life expectancy of more than 15 years in captivity. They often leave the trees to look for food, as it is easier for them to look for food in the leaves than in the treetops. Their prey are insects , spiders and possibly also small skinks . At night the monitor lizards sleep under the loose, dead bark of the trees. When foraging, they occasionally go under the bark to find larvae. VALENTIC (1996) observed that Varanus scalaris can now and then be found in tree hollows , which at the same time serve as shelter for other inhabitants such as geckos or tree frogs . In such cases, smaller geckos fall victim to it, as do cockroaches and other tree-dwelling insects.
Systematics
In the last few years the nomenclature of the banded tree monitor has been changed several times. MERTENS (1941, 1942b, 1942d) described V. scalaris as a subspecies of the Timor monitor lizard ( Varanus timorensis ). He gave it the scientific name V. t. similis . V. t. similis was no longer recognized as a subspecies by STORR, but counted as a variation of the Timor monitor lizard. In his study of the hemipenis morphology , BRANCH (1982) found major differences within the V. timorensis population. He revived the taxon V. similis for animals from the Northern Territory , Queensland , the Torres Strait Islands and those from southern New Guinea . In the English language the type is called “Banded Tree Monitor” or “Spotted Tree Goanna”.
Web links
- Banded tree monitor on iucnredlist.org
- Varanus scalaris in The Reptile Database
- Banded tree monitor on monitor-lizards.net ( English )
- Banded tree monitor on mampam.com
- Banded tree monitor on waranwelt.de
- Banded tree monitor on reptilia.dk
Individual evidence
- ↑ List of the national parks inhabited by the banded tree monitor on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Bowling Green Bay National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Crater Lakes National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in the Diamantina National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Edmund Kennedy National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in the Flinders Group National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Girringun National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in the Heathlands Resources Reserve on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Hinchinbrook Island National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in the Iron Range National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Kuranda National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Lawn Hill (Widdallion) Resources Reserve on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Mungkan Kandju National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in the Paluma Range National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Undara Volcanic National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Banded tree monitor in Wooroonooran National Park on arod.com.au
- ↑ Literature by MERTENS 1942d, 1958, KEAST 1959, WORRELL 1966, BUSTARD 1968, SWANSON 1976, STORR 1980, STORR et al. 1983b, HOSER 1989, COGGER 1992, EHMANN 1992
- ↑ Banded tree monitor on (en) wiki