Peach-throated monitor

The peach-throated monitor (Varanus jobiensis), also known commonly as the Sepik monitor, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to New Guinea.

Peach-throated monitor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus
Subgenus: Euprepiosaurus
Species:
V. jobiensis
Binomial name
Varanus jobiensis
Ahl, 1932[2]
Synonyms[3]
  • Varanus indicus jobiensis
    Ahl, 1932
  • Varanus karlschmidti
    Mertens, 1951
  • Varanus jobiensis
    — Böhme, 1991
  • Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) jobiensis
    — Ziegler et al., 2007

Taxonomy

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. [4]

Distribution

Varanus jobiensis is endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands such as Biak, Salawati, Yapen, Normanby, and Waigeo.[4] It occurs in rainforests at altitudes of 0–900 m (0–2,953 ft).[1]

Description

Varanus jobiensis grows 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

Varanus jobiensis primarily eats insects, and sometimes frogs,[4] but may also take freshwater fish and small mammals.[5]

As food

Varanus jobiensis is hunted for human consumption in New Guinea.[6]

Reproduction

Varanus jobiensis is oviparous.[3]

Peach-throated monitor on log in a vivarium

Etymology

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.[3]

The junior synonym, Varanus karlschmidti, was named in honor of American herpetologist Karl Patterson Schmidt.[7]

References
  1. Shea G, Allison A, Tallowin O (2016). "Varanus jobiensis ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T178029A21647160. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T178029A21647160.en. Downloaded on 05 March 2020.
  2. "Varanus jobiensis at ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). ITIS.gov
  3. Species Varanus jobiensis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  4. 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.
  5. Varanus jobiensi at mampam Consevation. mampam.com.
  6. 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
  7. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Pres. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus karlschmidti, p. 236).

Further reading
  • 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.
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