Varanus palawanensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010
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Varanus palawanensis
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| Higher Taxa | Varanidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Varanus palawanensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME 2010 Varanus (Soterosaurus) palawanensis — KOCH et al. 2010 Varanus (Soterosaurus) palawanensis — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50 |
| Distribution | Philippines (Palawan; Balabac and the Calamian Island group including Calauit and Busuanga; Sibutu Island within the Sulu Archipelago) Type locality: Tabon, Palawan Island, Philippines |
| Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: SMF 73912 (Figs. 25–27), adult male, collected by M. Gaulke 19.I.1989, donated 6.IV.1989. Paratypes. SMF 73914–15, 2 adults males, Tabon, Palawan Island, collected by M. Gaulke, I.1989, donated 6.IV.1989; BMNH 94.6.30.19, subadult, Palawan Island, collected by A. H. Everett, 1894; BMNH 94.6.30.20, adult (Fig. 28), Palawan Island, collected by A. H. Everett, 1894; MNHN 1884-187, adult (mounted), “Ile Paragua” (= Palawan), collected by A. Marché, ca. 1883; ZMUC E78, subadult, Dalawan Bay, Balabac Island, collected by the Noona Dan Expedition, 8.X.1961; ZFMK 89691 (formerly SMF 73913), adult male, Tabon, Palawan Island, collected by M. Gaulke, I.1989, donated 6.IV.1989. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: This new water monitor species is characterised by the following combination of characters that distinguishes V. palawanensis sp. nov. from all congeners: (1) relatively high scale counts around the head from rictus to rictus (character P = 53–65, mean = 56.64), (2) but low scale counts around the body (character S = 129–148, mean = 139.00), (3) and mean scale counts along the dorsal side (character XY = 116–145, mean = 128.27). For the remaining scalation features we refer to Table 3. Moreover, (4) the salvator-typical colour pattern of dorsal transverse rows of big bright spots and a bright and dark banded tail is indistinct in V. palawanensis sp. nov., and replaced by a vague pattern of bright mottling consisting of many single or bright bordered scales. Instead, (5) specimens often exhibit white markings on the head, (6) but a bright lateral temporal streak extending between eye and ear opening is poorly defined. (7) The dark bluegreyish tongue is flesh-coloured only at its base. (8) Ventrally, the throat shows no dark lateral bars but is mottled with dark brown scales. For details about scalation features and colour pattern of the remaining Philippine members of the V. salvator complex we refer to Tables 3 and 5 in KOCH et al. 2010. |
| Comment | This species may have been previously identified as V. salvator marmoratus. According to the timetree in Fig. S3 of Brennan et al. (2020), several taxa within the V. salvator group are distinctly younger than 1 million years, such as cumingi, marmoratus, palawanensis, and samarensis, hence they may be better considered as subspecies of V. salvator (Ziegler & Vences 2020). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet palawanensis refers to the type locality Palawan Island, Philippines. |
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