Pilbara monitor
| Pilbara monitor | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | V. (Odatria) |
| Species: | V. bushi |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus bushi Aplin, A. Fitch & D. King, 2006 [1] | |
The Pilbara monitor (Varanus bushi ), also known as Bush's monitor, is a newly discovered species of monitor lizard.
Etymology
The specific name, bushi, and the common name, Bush's monitor, are in honor of Australian naturalist and herpetologist Brian Gordon Bush (born 1947).[2]
Taxonomy
This species belongs to the subgenus Odatria.
Geographic range
Pilbara monitors live in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Description
V. bushi is most similar to the stripe-tailed goanna and the pygmy Mulga goanna of all monitor lizards. However, the Pilbara monitor can be distinguished from these other two species by some morphological and genetic differences. [3]
Behavior
Details about the behavior of this monitor are relatively unknown.
References
- ↑ Monitor-lizards.net (Retrieved 11 February 2010).
- ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus bushi, p. 44).
- ↑ JCVI.org (Retrieved 11 February 2010).
External links
- Photo at AROD.com.au (Retrieved 12 February 2010).
- Range map at Australianreptileguide.com (Retrieved 12 August 2010).
- JCVI.org (Retrieved 13 February 2010).
Further reading
- Aplin KP, Fitch AJ, King DJ. 2006. A new species of Varanus Merrem (Squamata: Varanidae) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with observations on sexual dimorphism in closely related species. Zootaxa 1313: 1–38.
- Eidenmüller B. 2007. Small monitors in the terrarium. Reptilia (GB) (50): 12-19.
- King, Ruth Allen; Pianka, Eric R.; King, Dennis. 2004. Varanoid Lizards of the World. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 225–229. ISBN 0-253-34366-6.
- King, Dennis; Green, Brian. 1999. Goannas: The Biology of Varanid Lizards. University of New South Wales Press. ISBN 0-86840-456-X.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 02, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.