| Kings' monitor | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Odatria |
| Species: | V. kingorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus kingorum | |
Kings' monitor (Varanus kingorum), also known commonly as Kings' goanna, Kings' rock monitor, and the pygmy rock monitor, is a small species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to Australia.
V. kingorum is endemic to the northwestern part of the Northern Territory, and the adjacent northeastern part of Western Australia.
The original description of V. kingorum as a species new to science was published in 1980, the result of a revision of Western and Central Australian varanid taxa. [3]
Kings' monitor belongs to the subgenus Odatria [4] along with the peacock monitor and the Pilbara monitor. Comparatively little is known about this species. [5]
The holotype was collected beneath rocks in 1978 at Timber Creek in the Northern Territory by Max King.
The specific name, kingorum (genitive plural), is in honour of Canadian-born Australian ecologist Richard Dennis King (1942–2002) and Australian geneticist Max King (born 1946), [6] honouring their contributions to the understanding of Australia varanids. [3]
Kings' goanna inhabits rocky outcrops of the Kimberley region and adjacent areas. [7] It is usually found in areas with rock exfoliations or slopes with open bushland and shrubs, where boulders and outcrops provide its required microhabitat. [8] V. kingorum is also found in grasslands. [9]
V. kingorum is one of the smallest species of its genus, reaching a total length (including tail) of up to 40 cm (16 in). [7] It is reddish brown in colour with a black reticulum in the juvenile that breaks down with age to form dark flecks. [5] Small blackish spots appear at most parts of the dark upper body, and at the throat and near the vent against the creamy colour of the underparts. [3]
Kings' monitor retreats into holes, rock fissures, and small crevices when it is approached, being extremely shy. [8]
This species has a long tail that is sometimes used to prod prey out of tight, inaccessible crevices. Such is a behaviour demonstrated by both adults and hatchlings alike, and as such is likely instinctual rather than learned. [10]
V. kingorum is oviparous. The incubation period of the eggs ranges from 89 to 126 days at a temperature of 29 +/- 2 °C. [10]
V. kingorum appears to feed exclusively on insects, including locusts, termites, and insect eggs. [5]
Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus Varanus, the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recognized.
A goanna is any one of several species of lizard of the genus Varanus found in Australia and Southeast Asia.
The perentie is a species of monitor lizard. It is one of the largest living lizards on earth, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, and the Crocodile monitor. Found west of the Great Dividing Range in the arid areas of Australia, it is rarely seen, because of its shyness and the remoteness of much of its range from human habitation. The species is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The sand goanna, also known commonly as Gould's monitor, the racehorse goanna, and the sand monitor, is a species of large Australian monitor lizard in the family Varanidae.
The short-tailed pygmy monitor is the second smallest living monitor lizard in the world with a maximum length of 25 cm.
Varanus timorensis, the Timor monitor or spotted tree monitor, is a species of small monitor lizards native to the island of Timor and some adjacent islands.
The yellow-spotted monitor, also known as the Argus monitor, is a monitor lizard found in northern and western regions of Australia and southern New Guinea.
The spiny-tailed monitor, also known as the Australian spiny-tailed monitor, the ridge-tailed monitor the Ackie dwarf monitor, and colloquially simply ackie monitor, is an Australian species of lizard belonging to the genus of monitor lizards (Varanus).
The peacock monitor, also known commonly as Auffenberg's monitor, is a species of small monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species, which belongs to the subgenus Odatria, is endemic to Rote Island, Indonesia.
The Kimberley rock monitor is a medium-sized species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to Northern Australia. Also known commonly as Glauert's monitor and the Kakadu sand goanna, it belongs to the subgenus Odatria.
The Pilbara monitor, also known commonly as Bush's monitor, Bush's pygmy monitor, and the Pilbara mulga goanna, is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
The Rosenberg's monitor is an Australian species of varanid reptile found in southern regions of the continent. They are large and fast predators with rugged bodies and long tails, having a combined length up to 1.5 metres, that will consume any smaller animal that is pursued and captured or found while foraging. They occur in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, where it may be rare or locally common, and more frequently observed in Western Australia, where it is sometimes abundant.
The black-spotted ridge-tailed monitor, also called commonly the black-spotted spiny-tailed monitor, the lemon-throated monitor, the northern ridge-tailed monitor, Whites monitor, and the yellow-throated monitor, is a subspecies of lizard in the family Varanidae. The subspecies is native to Australia's tropical Northern Territory. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is considered common and not threatened. It was first described in 1987. It is also known as White's dwarf goanna.
The black-palmed rock monitor is a member of the Varanidae family found in Australia. Also known as the twilight monitor or the long-tailed rock monitor, it is a member of the subgenus Odatria, and is found in the northern part of Australia in the Northern Territory and Western Australia, as well as Queensland. Specifically, its distribution extends from Mount Isa in the east to the Kimberleys in the west. Its habitat is areas of rock escarpment, and large populations may be found in small areas.
Varanus keithhornei, commonly known as the canopy goanna, Keith Horne's monitor, blue-nosed tree monitor, or Nesbit River monitor, is a species of monitor lizards native to northeast Australia. It is a member of the Varanus prasinus species group.
Mitchell's water monitor is a semiaquatic species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is native to Australia. The species is native to the northern regions of Australia and is on the IUCN Red List as a critically endangered species. They can be distinguished by the orange or yellow stripes along their neck and dark spots along their back. They are mainly carnivorous and eat small prey such as lizard, birds and insects.
Storr's monitor is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is endemic to Australia.
The Pilbara rock monitor is a small member of the family Varanidae endemic to the Chichester Range in North West Australia.
Odatria, commonly known as dwarf monitors, consists of small monitor lizards found in Australia and Indonesia. Species in this subgenus include the smallest monitor species in the world, the tiny 16 gram Dampier Peninsula monitor, but also includes some more medium sized species such as the 240 gram black-palmed rock monitor.
Hapturosaurus, sometimes known as the tree monitors, is a subgenus of lizards, consisting of slender-bodied arboreal monitor lizards mostly found in the tropical rainforests of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
