Varanus keithhornei, commonly known as the canopy goanna, Keith Horne's monitor, blue-nosed tree monitor,[4] or Nesbit River monitor,[5] is a species of monitor lizards native to northeast Australia. It is a member of the Varanus prasinus species group.[6]
| Canopy goanna | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Hapturosaurus |
| Species: | V. keithhornei |
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus keithhornei | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
This monitor lizard is found in a restricted area of less than 100 km2 near the Claudie and Nesbit rivers, in the McIlwraith and Iron Ranges of the Cape York Peninsula in northern Queensland.[2][7][8]
Description
The colouration of V. keithhornei is dark black on the upper side. It has moderately big and smooth head scales. Its tail has no visible keel.[6] The canopy goanna is small for a monitor lizard, reaching a total length up to 77 cm,[9] but more robust than other species of the V. prasinus species complex, and can be further distinguished from them by its colour and the conical throat scales.[8]
Specimens were originally assigned to the species Varanus prasinus by Czechura in 1980,[8] but Wells and Wellington declared it a new species 5 years later.
Diet
They forage in the trees and the leaf litter for insects such as orthopterans, roaches, and beetles.[8]
References
Further reading
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