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Varanus gilleni LUCAS & FROST, 1895

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Higher TaxaVaranidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Pygmy Mulga Monitor
G: Gillens Zwergwaran 
SynonymVaranus gilleni LUCAS & FROST 1895: 266
Varanus gilleni — STORR 1980: 256
Varanus gilleni — COGGER 1983
Worrellisaurus gilleni — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 22
Varanus gilleni — DE LISLE 1996: 125
Varanus gilleni — COGGER 2000: 364
Varanus gilleni — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Varanus (Odatria) gilleni — HÖRENBERG & KOCH 2013
Varanus (Odatria) gilleni — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50 
DistributionAustralia (Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia)

Type locality: between Glen Edith and Deering Creek, N. T.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NMV D 11759 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A small arboreal monitor (up to 38 cm long) with tail circular in section and longitudinally striped. Very similar to V. caudolineatus, but head streaked and back banded rather than spotted. Distinguishable from V. eremius by smooth (rather than keeled) head scales.(Storr 1980: 256) 
CommentV. gilleni was paraphyletic in a recent study by FITCH et al. (2006). 
EtymologyNamed after Francis James Gillen (1855-1912) who started work as a postal messenger (1867) and later on the overland telegraph line (1875-1892). He also helped the Horn expedition (1894) and the Spencer-Gillen expedition (1901-1902). Beolens et al. 2011 have many more details on him. 
References
  • Akeret, Beat 2014. Geschichtliches zur Haltung von Waranen in Deutschland und der Schweiz. Terraria-Elaphe 2014 (6): 14-21 - get paper here
  • Amer, Sayed A. M. and Yoshinori Kumazawa 2008. Timing of a mtDNA gene rearrangement and intercontinental dispersal of varanid lizards. Genes Genet. Syst. 83: 275–280 - get paper here
  • Aplin, K.P.; Fitch, A.J. & King, D.J. 2006. A new species of Varanus Merrem (Squamata: Varanidae) from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with observations on sexual dimorphism in closely related species. Zootaxa 1313: 1–38 - get paper here
  • Bennet, D.F. 2003. Australische Warane. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 18-25 - get paper here
  • Bennet, D.F. 2003. Australian Monitors. Reptilia (GB) (30): 12-19 - get paper here
  • Beolens, Bo; Michael Watkins, and Michael Grayson 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, USA - get paper here
  • Böhme,W. 2003. Checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world (family Varanidae). Zoologische Verhandelingen 341: 6-43 - get paper here
  • Branch, W. R. 1982. Hemipeneal Morphology of Platynotan Lizards. Journal of Herpetology 16 (1): 16-38 - get paper here
  • Carpenter, C.C., J.C. Gillingham, J.B. Murphy & L.A. Mitchell 1976. A further analysis of the combat ritual of Varanus gilleni Herpetologica 32 (1): 35-40 - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Collin, A, F, Guerree 2007. Maintenance et élevage en captivité de Varanus gilleni. ReptilMag 32. 30-33
  • Earley, Ryan L.; Omar Attum, Perri Eason 2002. Varanid combat: perspectives from game theory. Amphibia-Reptilia 23 (4): 469-485 - get paper here
  • Eidenmüller, B. 2007. Small monitors in the terrarium. Reptilia (GB) (50): 12-19 - get paper here
  • Eidenmüller, B. 2007. Kleinwarane im Terrarium. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (63): 16-23 - get paper here
  • Fitch, A.J.; Goodman, A.E.; Donnellan, S.C. 2006. A molecular phylogeny of the Australian monitor lizards (Squamata: Varanidae) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Australian Journal of Zoology 54 (4):253-269. - get paper here
  • FRÝDLOVÁ, PETRA and DANIEL FRYNTA 2010. A test of Rensch’s rule in varanid lizards. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 100: 293–306 - get paper here
  • Hörenberg, Thomas & André Koch 2013. Die Zwergwarane der Untergattung Odatria Gray, 1838. Draco 13 (53): 6-19 - get paper here
  • Horn, H.-G. 1978. Nachzucht von Varanus gilleni (Reptilia: Sauria: Varanidae). Salamandra 14 (1): 29-32 - get paper here
  • Houston, T. F. 1978. Dragon Lizards and Goannas of South Australia. Adelaide: South Australian Museum 84 pp.
  • Iannucci, Alessio; Marie Altmanová, Claudio Ciofi, Malcolm Ferguson-Smith, Massimo Milan, Jorge Claudio Pereira, James Pether, Ivan Rehák, Michail Rovatsos, Roscoe Stanyon, Petr Velenský, Petr Ráb, Lukáš Kratochvíl & Martina Johnson Pokorná 2019. Conserved sex chromosomes and karyotype evolution in monitor lizards (Varanidae). Heredity 123, 215–227 - get paper here
  • Lucas, A. H. S., and C. Frost. 1895. Preliminary notice of certain new species of lizards from central Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 7: 264-269 - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1942. Die Familie der Warane (Varanidae), 3. Teil: Taxonomie. Abh. Senckenb. naturf. Ges., 466: 235-391
  • Mertens, R. 1958. Bemerkungen über die Warane Australiens. Senckenbergiana biologica 39: 229-264
  • Murphy, J.B. & L.A. Mitchell 1974. Ritualised combat behaviour of the Pygmy Mulga Monitor Lizard, Varanus gilleni (Sauria: Varanidae) Herpetologica 30 (1): 90-97. - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. 1969. Notes on the biology of Varanus caudolineatus and Varanus gilleni. Western Australian Naturalist 11: 76-82 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. and D. R. King, eds. 2004. Varanoid Lizards of the World. Indiana University Press, 599 pp - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. 2003. Australian Desert Varanids. Reptilia (GB) (30): 20-26 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. 2003. Die Warane der australischen Wüste. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 29-35 - get paper here
  • Pianka, Eric R. 2012. Can humans share spaceship earth? Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 6 (1): 1-24 - get paper here
  • Polleck, R. 1980. Ein temperamentvoller Zwerg im Terrarium: Der Gillenwaran (Varanus gilleni) LUCAS & FROST 1895. Herpetofauna 2 (6): 19-20 - get paper here
  • Polleck, R. 2001. Haltung und Zucht vom Gillenwaran, Varanus gilleni LUCAS & FROST 1895. Herpetofauna 23 (131): 15-18 - get paper here
  • Ramm, Till 2013. Die erfolgreiche Haltung und Nachzucht von Gillens Zwergwaran (Varanus gilleni) im Terrarium. Draco 13 (53): 45-50 - get paper here
  • Shea, G.M. 2003. The HORN Expedition (1894) to Central Australia: New Directions in Australian Herpetology. Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 52 (3/4): 245-273 - get paper here
  • Sprackland, R. G. 2001. Dwarf monitors. Reptile and Amphibian Hobbyist 6 (10): 8-16
  • Sternfeld, R. 1925. Beiträge zur Herpetologie Inner-Australiens. Abhandlungen Herausgegeben von der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, 38: 221—251
  • Storr G M 1980. The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. 8 (2): 237-293 - get paper here
  • Westerheide, Christian 2019. Varanus gilleni Lucas & Frost, 1895 – Australische Zwerge auf dem Vormarsch Deskription zur Terrarienhaltung und Vermehrung. Sauria 41 (2): 4-14 - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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