Species Varanus acanthurus Boulenger, 1885
Ridge-tailed Monitor, Spiny-tailed Monitor
- Varanus acanthurus Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). 2. London : British Museum xiii 497 pp. 24 pls. [324] [nom. nov. for Odatria ocellata Gray, 1845].
Type data:
Syntype(s). - Odatria ocellata Gray, J.E. 1845. Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Collection of the British Museum. London : British Museum xxviii 289 pp. [8] [junior secondary homonym of Varanus ocellatus Heyden, 1830].
Type data:
Holotype BMNH 1945.8.30.97, NW coast of Australia. - Varanus acanthurus brachyurus Sternfeld, R. 1919. Neue Schlangen und Echsen aus Zentralaustralien. Senckenbergiana Biologica 1: 76-83 [78].
Type data:
Lectotype SMF 11640, Hermannsburg Mission, upper Finke River, NT.
Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy
- 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: 253-269
Distribution
States
Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia
Extra Distribution Information
Rocky outcrops or stony ranges throughout arid or seasonally dry regions of northern Australia
Australian Endemic.
IBRA
NT, Qld, WA: Burt Plain (BRT), Carnarvon (CAR), Central Kimberley (CK), Daly Basin (DAB), Darwin Coastal (DAC), Dampierland (DL), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Gascoyne (GAS), Gibson Desert (GD), Gulf Fall and Uplands (GFU), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Gulf Coastal (GUC), Gulf Plains (GUP), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD), Mount Isa Inlier (MII), Northern Kimberley (NK), Ord Victoria Plain (OVP), Pine Creek (PCK), Pilbara (PIL), Sturt Plateau (STU), Tanami (TAN), Victoria Bonaparte (VB)
Distribution References
Ecological Descriptors
Desert, diurnal, hummock grassland, low open shrubland, low open woodland, low woodland, oviparous, predator, tall shrubland, tussock grassland.
General References
Cogger, H.G., in Cogger, H.G., Cameron, E.E. & Cogger, H.M. 1983. Amphibia and Reptilia. 313 pp. in Walton, D.W. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 1 vi + 313 pp. [127] (subspecies not identified in Cogger et al. (1983: 127), in which Cogger listed synonyms)
Husband, G.A. 1979. Notes on a nest and hatchlings of Varanus acanthurus. Herpetofauna 11: 29-30
Mertens, R. 1942. Die Familie der Warane (Varanidae). Dritter Teil: Taxonomie. Abhandlungen der Senckenbergischen Naturforschenden Gesellschaft 466: 235-391 (taxonomy)
Mertens, R. 1958. Bemerkungen über die Warane Australiens. Senckenbergiana Biologica 39: 229-264
Saint Girons, H., Rice, G.E. & Bradshaw, S.D. 1981. Histologie comparée et ultrastructure de la glande nasale externe de quelques Varanidae (Reptilia: Lacertilia). Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie 12 3: 15-21
Storr, G.M. 1980. The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 8: 237-293 (taxonomy)
Swanson, S. 1979. Some rock-dwelling reptiles of the Arnhem Land escarpment. Northern Territory Naturalist 1: 14-18 (natural history)
Common Name References
CAVS 2006. Census of Australian Vertebrate Species. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Ridge-tailed Monitor)
Clayton, M., Wombey, J.C., Mason, I.J., Chesser, R.T. & Wells, A. 2006. CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing iv 162 pp. [39] (Spiny-tailed Monitor)
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07-Feb-2024 | LACERTILIA | 22-Nov-2022 | MODIFIED | |
| 07-Feb-2024 | 16-Aug-2012 | MODIFIED | ||
| 08-Mar-2011 | 08-Mar-2011 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |