White-throated monitor
| White-throated monitor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Scleroglossa |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Species: | V. albigularis |
| Subspecies: | V. albigularis albigularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus albigularis albigularis Daudin, 1802[1] | |
The white-throated monitor (Varanus albigularis albigularis) is a lizard found in southern Africa. They are usually gray-brown with yellowish or white markings, and can reach up to 2 m in length. They are found in Southern Africa, northwards to Angola, Zambia, and Mozambique.
Taxonomy
First described by François Marie Daudin in 1802,[1] these lizards were previously classed as a subspecies of Varanus exanthematicus, but have since been declared a distinct species based upon differences in hemipenal morphology.[2] The generic name Varanus is derived from the Arabic word waral ورل, which is translated to English as "monitor". Their specific name comes from a compound of two Latin words: albus meaning "white" and gula meaning "throat".
As a pet
This subspecies is kept as a pet.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daudin, F. M. (1802). Histoire Naturelle, génerale et particulièredes reptiles, ouvrage faisant suite, a l'histoiure naturelle, générale et particulière composée par LECLERC DE BUFFON, et redigée par C. S. SONNINI, vol. 3. F. Dufart, Paris.
- ↑ Bohme, W. (1991). New finding on the hemipenal morphology of monitor lizards and their systematic implications. Mertensiella, 2, 42-49.