Black-throated monitor

Black-throated monitor
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Varanidae
Genus:	Varanus
Species:	V. albigularis
Subspecies:	V. a. microstictus
Trinomial name
Varanus albigularis microstictus Boettger, 1893
Synonyms[1]
Varanus microstictus Boettger, 1893 Varanus exanthematicus microstictus — Mertens, 1942 Varanus exanthematicus ionidesi Laurent, 1964 Varanus albigularis microstictus — Böhme, 1988 Varanus albigularis ionidesi — Böhme, 1988 Varanus albigularis microstictus — Phillips in Pianka, D. King & R. King, 2004

The black-throated monitor (Varanus albigularis microstictus) is a subspecies of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The subspecies is native to Tanzania.[2]

Description

Varanus albigularis microstictus is usually a dark gray-brown with yellowish or white markings, and can reach up to 7 feet (2.1 m) in total length (including tail) and weigh more than 60 pounds (27 kg). It is the largest of the four subspecies of the rock monitor, V. albigularis.[2]

Etymology

The generic name, Varanus, is derived from the Arabic word waral ورل, which is translated to English as "warn" or "warning."

The specific name, albigularis, comes from a compound of two Latin words: albus meaning "white" and gula meaning "throat".

The subspecific synonym, ionidesi, is in honor of Constantine John Philip Ionides (1901-1968), called the "Snake Man of British East Africa".[3]

Diet

In captivity V. a. microstictus feeds mainly on whole prey, such as mice, rats, snakes, lizards, freshwater mollusks, small birds, large roaches, crustaceans, fish, and eggs. It will commonly accept cat and dog food, which is not acceptable as a staple diet due to an improper nutrient profile and high caloric content. In the wild, it will eat anything it can catch.[2]

See also

• List of largest extant lizards
• White-throated monitor
• Rock monitor

References

1. Species Varanus albigularis at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
2. "Black Throated Monitor". Twycross Zoo. Archived from the original on 22 December 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Varanus albigularis ionidesi, p. 130).

Further reading

• Boettger O (1893). Katalog der Reptilien-Sammlung im Museum der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Frankfurt am Main. I. Teil (Rhynchocephalen, Schildkröten, Krokodile, Eidechsen, Chamäleons. Frankfurt am Main: Gebrüder Knauer. x + 140 pp. (Varanus microstictus, new species, p. 72). (in German).
• Laurent RF (1964). "A New Subspecies of Varanus exanthematicus (Sauria, Varanidae)". Breviora (199): 1–5. (Varanus exanthematicus ionidesi, new subspecies).
• Phillips, John ("Andy") (2004). "Varanus albigularis ". pp. 91–94. In: Pianka, Eric R.; King, Dennis R.; King, Ruth Allen (editors) (2004). Varanoid Lizards of the World. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. xiii + 588 pp. ISBN 0-253-34366-6.