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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 — 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 
Diagnosis 
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. Australian Monitors. Reptilia (GB) (30): 12-19 - get paper here
  • Bennet, D.F. 2003. Australische Warane. Reptilia (Münster) 8 (43): 18-25 - 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
  • 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. Kleinwarane im Terrarium. Reptilia (Münster) 12 (63): 16-23 - get paper here
  • Eidenmüller, B. 2007. Small monitors in the terrarium. Reptilia (GB) (50): 12-19 - 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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