Species Varanus eremius Lucas & Frost, 1895

Museums

Regional Maps

• Varanus eremius Lucas, A.H.S. & Frost, C. 1895. Preliminary notice of a certain species of lizard from central Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria ns 7: 264-269 [267].

  Type data:

   Holotype NMV D9136, Idracowra, NT.

  Type locality references:

  Mertens, R. 1963. Liste der rezenten Amphibien und Reptilien Helodermatidae, Varanidae, Lanthanotidae. Das Tierreich 79: i-x 1-26.

 

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

drainage basins and coastal and oceanic zones

IBRA

NT, Qld, SA, WA: Burt Plain (BRT), Carnarvon (CAR), Central Ranges (CR), Davenport Murchison Ranges (DMR), Finke (FIN), Gascoyne (GAS), Gibson Desert (GD), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Murchison (MUR), Pilbara (PIL), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD), Stony Plains (STP), Tanami (TAN), Yalgoo (YAL)

Original AFD Distribution Data

Australian Region

• Australia
  • Northern Territory: Lake Eyre basin, W plateau
  • Queensland: Lake Eyre basin
  • South Australia: Lake Eyre basin, W plateau
  • Western Australia: NW coastal, W plateau

Ecological Descriptors

Desert, diurnal, hummock grassland, low open shrubland, oviparous, predator, tall shrubland.

 

General References

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 (taxonomy)

Pianka, E.R. 1968. Notes on the biology of Varanus eremius. Western Australian Naturalist 11: 39-44 (natural history)

Pianka, E.R. 1982. Observations on the ecology of Varanus in the Great Victoria Desert. Western Australian Naturalist 15: 1-8

Storr, G.M. 1980. The monitor lizards (genus Varanus Merrem, 1820) of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum 8: 237-293 (taxonomy)

 

Common Name References

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. [40] (Pygmy Desert Monitor)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
07-Feb-2024		16-Aug-2012	MODIFIED
08-Mar-2011		08-Mar-2011	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)