Peach-throated monitor
| Peach-throated monitor | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Euprepiosaurus |
| Species: | V. jobiensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus jobiensis | |
| Synonyms[4] | |
The peach-throated monitor (Varanus jobiensis), also known as the Sepik monitor, is a species of monitor lizard native to New Guinea.
Taxonomy
[edit]Varanus jobiensis belongs to the subgenus Euprepiosaurus, which includes species such as the blue-tailed monitor and mangrove monitor, both of which it is sympatric with in much of its range.
It is likely that this species is actually a species complex of multiple different species that have been diverging since the Pliocene, and diverged from the V. indicus species complex 4.7 million years ago.[5]
Distribution
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Peach-throated monitors are endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands such as Biak, Salawati, Yapen, Normanby, and Waigeo.[5] It occurs in rainforests at altitudes of 0–900 m (0–2,953 ft).[1]
Description
[edit]Peach-throated monitors grow up to 120 centimetres (3.9 ft) in total length (including tail). The colour of the throat is white-yellow to red, to which one of its common names refers.
Diet
[edit]Peach-throated monitors primarily eat insects, and sometimes frogs,[5] but may also take freshwater fish and small mammals.[6]
As food
[edit]Peach-throated monitors are hunted for human consumption in New Guinea.[7]
Reproduction
[edit]Peach-throated monitors are oviparous.[4]
Etymology
[edit]The specific name, jobiensis, which is Latin, means "from Jobi". Jobi is the island also known as Yapen, which is the type locality of this species.[4]
The junior synonym, Varanus karlschmidti, was named in honour of American herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt.[8]
Gallery
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Raja Ampat Papua, 2017 -
Raja Ampat Papua, 2017 -
Raja Ampat Papua, 2017, note the peach coloured throat -
On wall
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References
[edit]- ^ a b Shea, G.; Allison, A.; Tallowin, O. (2016). "Varanus jobiensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T178029A21647160. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T178029A21647160.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ "Varanus jobiensis at ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). ITIS.gov
- ^ a b c Species Varanus jobiensis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c Weijola, Valter; Vahtera, Varpu; Lindqvist, Christer; Kraus, Fred (23 July 2019). "A molecular phylogeny for the Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus subgenus Euprepiosaurus) reveals a recent and rapid radiation with high levels of cryptic diversity". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (4): 1053–1066. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz002. ISSN 0024-4082.
- ^ Varanus jobiensi at mampam Consevation. mampam.com.
- ^ Pangau-Adam, Margaretha; Noske, Richard; Muehlenberg, Michael (2012). "Wildmeat or Bushmeat? Subsistence Hunting and Commercial Harvesting in Papua (West New Guinea), Indonesia". Human Ecology 40: 611–621.doi:10.1007/s10745-012-9492-5
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus karlschmidti, p. 236).
Further reading
[edit]- Ahl E (1932). "Eine neue Eidechse und zwei neue Frösche von der Insel Jobi ". Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin 17: 892–899. (Varanus indicus jobiensis, new subspecies, p. 892). (in German).
- Mertens R (1951). "A New Lizard of the Genus Varanus from New Guinea". Fieldiana Zoology 31 (43): 467–471. (Varanus karlschmidti, new species).
- Ziegler T, Schmitz A, Koch A, Böhme W (2007). "A review of the subgenus Euprepiosauras of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for members of the V. indicus and V. prasinus species groups". Zootaxa 1472: 1-28.
