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Varanus eremius LUCAS & FROST, 1895

IUCN Red List - Varanus eremius - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaVaranidae, Platynota, Varanoidea, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Rusty Desert Monitor 
SynonymVaranus eremius LUCAS & FROST 1895: 267
Varanus eremius — COGGER 1983
Varanus eremius — DE LISLE 1996: 123
Worrellisaurus eremius — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985: 22
Varanus eremius — COGGER 2000: 362
Varanus eremius — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Varanus (Odatria) eremius — HÖRENBERG & KOCH 2013
Varanus (Odatria) eremius — BUCKLITSCH et al. 2016: 50
Varanus eremias — DITTMER et al. 2020 (in error) 
DistributionAustralia (Western Australia, S/C Northern Territory, N/W/C South Australia, W Queensland)

Type locality: Idracowra, N. T.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NMV D9136 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A moderately small ground monitor (up to 46 cm long) with tail triangular in section and longitudinally striped. Distinguishable from V. caudolineatus and V. gilleni by keeled head scales, dark streaks on throat and long slender nails. (Storr 1980: 251)


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CommentAbundance: not uncommon, with more than 200 specimens collected (Pianka 2011)

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Greek eremia (desert), in allusion to the habitat and distribution of the species. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • 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
  • Branch, W. R. 1982. Hemipeneal Morphology of Platynotan Lizards. Journal of Herpetology 16 (1): 16-38 - 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.
  • Dittmer, D. E., Chapman, T. L. & Bidwell, J. R. 2020. In the shadow of an iconic inselberg: Uluru’s shadow influences climates and reptile assemblage structure at its base. J. Arid Environ. 181, 104179 (2020) - 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
  • 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
  • Fuller, Susan; Peter Baverstock and Dennis King 1998. Biogeographic Origins of Goannas (Varanidae): A Molecular Perspective. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 9 (2): 294–307 - get paper here
  • Hörenberg, Thomas & André Koch 2013. Die Zwergwarane der Untergattung Odatria Gray, 1838. Draco 13 (53): 6-19 - get paper here
  • Jolly, C., Schembri, B., & Macdonald, S. 2023. Field Guide to the Reptiles of the Northern Territory. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne - get paper here
  • Lisle, H.F. de 1996. Natural History of Monitor Lizards. Krieger, Malabar (Florida)
  • 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
  • Maryan, B., Gaikhorst, G., & Parkhurst, B. 2024. The terrestrial herpetofauna of the Zuytdorp coast and hinterland of Western Australia: Exceptional richness in a global biodiversity hotspot. Western Australian Naturalist, 33, 3
  • 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
  • Pianka, E. R. 1968. Notes on the biology of Varanus eremius. Western Australian Naturalist 11: 39-44 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E. R. 1969. Habitat specificity, speciation, and species density in Australian desert lizards. Ecology 50 (3): 498-502 - 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. Die Warane der australischen Wüste. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 29-35 - get paper here
  • Pianka, E.R. 2003. Australian Desert Varanids. Reptilia (GB) (30): 20-26 - 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
  • 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
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - 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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