Varanus bushi APLIN, FITCH & KING, 2006
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Varanus bushi
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| Higher Taxa | Varanidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Pilbara Mulga Goanna |
| Synonym | Varanus bushi APLIN, FITCH & KING 2006 Varanus bushi — EIDENMÜLLER 2007 Varanus (Odatria) bushi — KOCH et al. 2010 Varanus (Odatria) bushi — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50 |
| Distribution | Australia (Pilbara region) Type locality: Marandoo, Western Australia in 22° 37’ S 118° 08’ E |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: WAM R108999, adult male. Collected on 20 June 1991 by Greg Harold |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A small-bodied member of the subgenus Odatria distinguished from most others by the combination of a longitudinally striped and only moderately spinose tail, unkeeled head and body scales, non-overlapping ventral primary scales, and an absence of longitudinal streaks on throat. Distinguished from V. gilleni by its slightly lesser average size, more elongate dorsal scales, more densely spotted venter and more irregularly spotted dorsum, less prominent linear patterning on the head and neck, and its more numerous presacral vertebrae, pedal subdigital lamellae and ventral scales. Males are further distinguished from V. gilleni by having hemipenes with an undivided inner hemibaculum. Distinguished from V. caudolineatus by its slightly greater average and maximum size, proportionally shorter fore- and hind-limbs, more elongate snout, higher average midbody and ventral scale counts, higher average sub-digital lamellar counts on pes, more finely scaled and less rugose proximal portion of the tail, more numerous presacral vertebrae, less conspicuously spotted head, more orderly alignment of dorsal pattern into transverse rows, and presence of transverse bands on the basal one-third of the tail. Males are further distinguished from V. caudolineatus by having a shorter hemipenis with more numerous papillose distal frills. |
| Comment | Similar species: V. caudolineatus and V. gilleni. The three species are closely related. Sympatry: V. caudolineatus at several localities. It is more widely separated from known populations of V. gilleni. Habitat: The new species is associated with mulga woodland and is at least partially arboreal, but little else is known of its ecology. Sexual dimorphism: in all three species, including relative body elongation in females that is reflected in higher modal presacral vertebral counts in females than males of each species. Body elongation of females needs to be taken into account in future analyses of sexual dimorphism in varanid lizards. |
| Etymology | We take pleasure in naming this species after naturalist and educator Brian Bush who has contributed enormously to our knowledge of the herpetofauna of Western Australia and of the Pilbara region in particular. |
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