Refereed journal article or data article (A1)

A new blue-tailed Monitor lizard (Reptilia, Squamata, Varanus) of the Varanus indicus group from Mussau Island, Papua New Guinea




List of AuthorsValter Weijola, Stephen C. Donnellan, Christer Lindqvist

PublisherPENSOFT PUBL

Publication year2016

JournalZooKeys

Journal name in sourceZOOKEYS

Journal acronymZOOKEYS

Issue number568

Start page129

End page154

Number of pages26

ISSN1313-2989

eISSN1313-2970

DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.568.6872


Abstract

We describe a new species of Varanus from Mussau Island, north-east of New Guinea. The new species is a member of the Varanus indicus species group and is distinguished from all other members by both morphological and molecular genetic characters. It is the third species of Varanus reported from the Bismarck Archipelago and the first record of a yellow tongued member of the Varanus indicus species group from a remote oceanic island. The herpetofauna of Mussau Island has not been well studied but the discovery of this new species is in accordance with recent findings indicating that the island may harbor several unknown endemic vertebrates. The distribution of the closely related Varanus finschi is also discussed in the light of recent fieldwork and a review of old records.



Last updated on 2021-24-06 at 09:43