Pilbara monitor
The Pilbara monitor (Varanus bushi ), also known as Bush's monitor, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
| Pilbara monitor | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Odatria |
| Species: | V. bushi |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus bushi | |
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]
Description
Varanus 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.[4]
Habitat and geographic range
The Pilbara monitor inhabits the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Behaviour
Details about the behaviour of Varanus bushi are relatively unknown.
References
- Monitor-lizards.net Archived 19 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 11 February 2010).
- 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 bushi, p. 44).
- Koch, André; Auliya, Mark; Ziegler, Thomas (2010). "Updated checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (Squamata: Varanidae)". Bonn Zool. Bull. 57 (2): 127–136.
- JCVI.org (Retrieved 11 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.
External links
- Photo at AROD.com.au (Retrieved 12 February 2010).
- Range map at Australianreptileguide.com (Retrieved 12 August 2010).
- "Varanus bushi ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile database.org. (Retrieved 13 February 2010).
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