Canopy goanna
| Canopy goanna | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertilia |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Euprepiosaurus |
| Species: | V. keithhornei |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus keithhornei Wells & Wellington, 1985[1][2] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The canopy goanna (Varanus keithhornei) is a species of monitor lizards native to northeast Australia. It is also known as the blue-nosed tree monitor,[3] Keith Horne's monitor, or occasionally as the Nesbit River monitor[4] It belongs to the subgenus Euprepiosaurus[5] and is a member of the Varanus prasinus species group.[6]
This monitor lizard is found in a restricted range near the Nesbit River, or in the McIlwraith or Iron Mountain Ranges on the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.[7][8]
Description
The colouration of V. keithhornei is dark black on the upper side. It has moderately big and smooth head scales. Its tail has no visible keel.[9] The canopy goanna is small for a montor lizard, reaching a total length up to 77 cm.[10]
References
Further reading
- Photos of Varanus keithhornei at Pbase.com
- Anonymous 2001. Opinion 1970 - Odatria keithhornei WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985 (Reptilia, Sauria): specific name placed on Official List. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 58 (1): 74
- Bleeker, P. 1856. Reis Minahassa 1: 278
- Cogger,H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
- Czechura, G. V. 1980. The emerald monitor Varanus prasinus (Schlegel): an addition to the Australian mainland herpetofauna. Mem. Qd Mus. 20: 103-109
- De Lisle, H.F. 1996. Natural History of Monitor Lizards. Krieger, Malabar (Florida)
- Eidenmüller, B. 2007. Small monitors in the terrarium. Reptilia (GB) (50): 12-19
- Sprackland, R. G. 1991. Taxonomic review of the Varanus prasinus group with descriptions of two new species. Mem. Queensl. Museum, 3 (3): 561-576.
- Wells, R. W. and Wellington, C. R. 1985. A classification of the Amphibia and Reptilia of Australia. Australian Journal of Herpetology, Supplementary Series, (1):1-61.
- Ziegler, T. & W. BÖHME 1998. Comments on the proposed conservation of the specific name Varanus teriae SPRACKLAND, 1991 (Reptilia, Squamata) (Case 3043; see BZN 54: 100-103, 250-251; 55: 37-39). Bull. Zool. Nomenclature 55 (2): 111-113.
- Ziegler, T., Schmitz, A., Koch, A. & W. Böhme 2007. A review of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for the members of the V. indicus and the V. prasinus species groups. Zootaxa 1472: 1-28
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