Varanus caerulivirens ZIEGLER, BÖHME & PHILIPP, 1999
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Varanus caerulivirens
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| Higher Taxa | Varanidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Turquoise Monitor |
| Synonym | Varanus caerulivirens ZIEGLER, BÖHME & PHILIPP 1999: 46 Varanus caerulivirens — AST 2001 Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) caerulivirens — ZIEGLER et al. 2007 Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) caerulivirens — KOCH et al. 2013 Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) caerulivirens — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50 Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) caerulivirens — WEIJOLA & KRAUS 2023 |
| Distribution | Indonesia (Halmahera, Moluccas, incl. Morotai, Bacan, Obi) Type locality: Halmahera, Moluccas, Indonesia. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: ZFMK 68874, paratypes ZFMK 68577, SMF 32805. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A representative of the V. indicus group which can be distinguished from V. doreanus, V. finschi, V. indicus, V. jobiensis, V. melinus, V. spinulosus, and V. yuwonoi by the following character combination: (1) a light blue to turquoise tinge of the head, neck, body, dorsum, limb and tail colouration; (2) a high midbody scale count (170-185), (3) a pink-coloured, light tongue which may have dark pigment only on its tips and/or at their bifurcation point; (4) differentiated paryphasmata only on one side of the sperm groove of the hemipenis and hemiclitoris, respectively. Apart from the colouration differences, V. caerulivirens sp. n. can be distinguished from V. indicus mainly by the lack of a broadly dark pigmented tongue, and by its particularly high scale counts (compare BÖHME & al. 1994), represented by an average S value (for explanation see table 1) of 177 (versus 129 in V. indicus), and an average XY value (cf. table 1) of 186 (versus 131 in V. indicus). These differences in colour pattern, tongue colouration and S and XY value are also valid in regard to the synonyms of V. indicus listed in BÖHME & al. (1994): Monitor chlorostigma GRAY, 1831: type locality Rawack, north of Waigeu; Varanus tsukamotoi KISHIDA, 1929: type locality Saipan, Carolines; and v. indicus rouxi MERTENS, 1926: type locality Durdjela, Wammer, Aru Islands. [Reinvestigation of the rouxi type series revealed that the third paratype - SMF 11593, from Dobo, Aru Islands, coll. H. MERTON 1908- is actually a female of V. doreanus (marbled throat, mainly light tongue, high S value - according to MERTENS 1926: 168 -, paryphasman arrangement on the hemiclitores)]. Varanus caerulivirens sp. n. can be distinguished - apart from its colour pattern - by scalation characters from V. melinus (e. S value: 124-133, BÖHME & ZIEGLER 1997; ZIEGLER & BÖHME in press) and from V. spinulosus (e. g., S value: ca. 210, MERTENS 1942; SPRACKLAND 1994); by the pattern of paryphasmata arrangement on the hemipenis and hemiclitoris from V. doreanus, V. finschi, V. jobiensis, and V. yuwonoi which all have paryphasmata on both sides of the sulcal groove (ZIEGLER & BÖHME 1997, in press; ZIEGLER & al. 1999). Additional details (10236 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named after the Latin adjective "caeruleus", -a, -urn (poetic "caerulus") = blue, and from the gerund "virens" = becoming green. It refers to the diagnostic skyblue to turquoise colouration of head, neck, limbs and distal parts of tail. |
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