Varanus (Euprepiosaurus)

Varanus (Euprepiosaurus)
Bennett's long-tailed monitor
(V. bennetti)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus
Subgenus: Euprepiosaurus
Species

20., see text

Euprepiosaurus is a subgenus of monitor lizards found in the Malay Archipelago and northern Australia, which includes small to medium sized species.

Classification

In 1988, the tree monitors that now form the subgenus Hapturosaurus were instead placed within Euprepriosaurus alongside the mangrove monitors.[1] Nevertheless, there was a distinction between mangrove and tree monitors that was clear even then, so Euprepriosaurus was commonly considered to consist of two species complexes, i.e., the V. indicus complex and the V. prasinus complex. In 2016, Yannick Bucklitsch, Wolfgang Böhme, and André Koch found the two species complexes sufficiently morphologically, ecologically, and biologically distinct, and so all species within the V. prasinus complex were moved under a newly erected subgenus, i.e., Hapturosaurus. Euprepriosaurus and Hapturosaurus diverged from each other during the late Miocene.[2]

Species complexes

Euprepiosaurus consists of three species complexes:

Species

References

  1. ^ Böhme, Wolfgang (2003). "Checklist of the living lizards of the world (family Varanidae)" (PDF). Zoologische Verhandelingen. 341: 4–43.
  2. ^ Bucklitsch, Yannick; Böhme, Wolfgang; Koch, André (2016-08-17). "Scale morphology and micro-structure of monitor lizards (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus spp.) and their allies: implications for systematics, ecology, and conservation". Zootaxa. 4153 (1): 1–192. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4153.1.1. PMID 27615821.
  3. ^ "Recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee". 1997-03-07. Archived from the original on 2008-05-18.
  4. ^ Böhme, Wolfgang; Jacobs, Hans J.; Koppetsch, Thore; Schmitz, Andreas (2019-09-05). "The Kei Islands Monitor Lizard (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus: Euprepiosaurus) as a Distinct Morphological, Taxonomic, and Conservation Unit". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 26 (5): 272. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2019-26-5-272-280. ISSN 1026-2296.
  5. ^ a b Weijola, Valter; Vahtera, Varpu; Lindqvist, Christer; Kraus, Fred (2019-07-23). "A molecular phylogeny for the Pacific monitor lizards (Varanus subgenus Euprepiosaurus) reveals a recent and rapid radiation with high levels of cryptic diversity". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 186 (4): 1053–1066. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz002. ISSN 0024-4082.
  6. ^ a b Weijola, Valter; Vahtera, Varpu; Koch, André; Schmitz, Andreas; Kraus, Fred (2020). "Taxonomy of Micronesian monitors (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanus): endemic status of new species argues for caution in pursuing eradication plans". Royal Society Open Science. 7 (5): 200092. Bibcode:2020RSOS....700092W. doi:10.1098/rsos.200092. PMC 7277287. PMID 32537217.
  7. ^ Böhme, Wolfgang (2019-11-23). "The Kei Islands Monitor Lizard (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus: Euprepiosaurus) as a Distinct Morphological, Taxonomic, and Conservation Unit". Russian Journal of Herpetology. 26 (5): 272–280. doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2019-26-5-272-280. S2CID 213867767.
  8. ^ a b Weijola, Valter; Kraus, Fred (2023). "Two new species of monitor lizards (Squamata: Varanus) endemic to the Louisiade and Tanimbar archipelagos". Journal of Natural History. 57 (13–16): 947–975. doi:10.1080/00222933.2023.2218574.
  9. ^ Weijola, Valter; Sweet, Samuel (2010). "A new melanistic species of monitor lizard (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanidae) from Sanana Island, Indonesia" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2434: 17–32. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2434.1.2.
  10. ^ Weijola, Valter; Donnellan, Stephen; Lindqvist, Christer (2016). "A new blue-tailed Monitor lizard (Reptilia, Squamata, Varanus) of the Varanus indicus group from Mussau Island, Papua New Guinea". ZooKeys (568): 129–54. Bibcode:2016ZooK..568..129W. doi:10.3897/zookeys.568.6872. PMC 4829673. PMID 27103877.