Pygmy mulga monitor
| Pygmy mulga monitor | |
|---|---|
| |
| Alice Springs Desert Park | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Odatria |
| Species: | V. gilleni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus gilleni | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
The pygmy mulga monitor or stripe-tailed goanna refers to Varanus gilleni, a species of lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to northwestern and central Australia.[4]
Taxonomy
A description of the species was presented to the Linnean Society of Victoria in 1895 by Arthur H. S. Lucas & Charles Frost.[1]
The specific name, gilleni, is in honor of Australian anthropologist Francis James Gillen.[5]
Description
The pygmy mulga monitor is arboreal, with a prehensile tail. It grows to a total length of around 35 cm (14 in), of which 20 cm (7.9 in) is tail. The upper surface is brown, grading to grey at the sides. The nostrils are positioned on the sides of the muzzle, about halfway between the tip of the snout and the eye.[4] V. gilleni weighs, on average, 60–80 grams (2.1–2.8 oz).[6]
Diet
Varanus gilleni eats insects, lizards, small mammals, and eggs.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Lucas, A.H.S.; Frost., C. (1895). "Preliminary notice of certain new species of lizards from central Australia". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 7: 264–269.
- ^ Zipcodezoo.com Archived August 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Varanus gilleni ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b "Varanus gilleni ". www.monitor-lizards.net. Archived 2009-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 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 gilleni, p. 101).
- ^ Pygmy Mulga monitor - Perth Zoo - Western Australia Archived January 8, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
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