A team of scientists led by Dr Stephen Donnellan of the University of Adelaide has described a new species of Varanus lizard from the Dampier Peninsula, western Kimberley region.
The Dampier Peninsula goanna (Varanus sparnus). Image credit: R. Ellis.
Lizards of the genus Varanus, commonly referred to as goannas or monitors, are a moderately diverse group with 77 species from Australia, Asia and Africa. Australia is the most species-rich region with 31 species.
The discovery of a new species, named the Dampier Peninsula goanna (Varanus sparnus), is significant as it is the world’s smallest species in the genus.
Varanus also contains large-bodied species such as the Australian desert-dwelling perentie (Varanus giganteus) at over 2 meters long, and the famous Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) from Indonesia at over 3 meters long and over 80 kg.
In contrast, the Dampier Peninsula goanna has a maximum known size of only 23 cm and weighs just 16 grams.
“Observations of the captive individual indicate that this species is a highly active burrower, excavating underneath all hard structures, such as flat pieces of wood and a heating stone,” Dr Donnellan and his colleagues wrote in a paper published in the Records of the Western Australian Museum.
“This specimen readily consumed both live food (Tenebrio larvae, crickets) and wet cat food. Attempts to photograph this species in life were difficult, as the animals were constantly moving and rarely paused.”
Dampier Peninsula goanna has an apparently extremely restricted distribution, completely confined to the relatively small Dampier Peninsula area.
“This is in contrast to its two closest relatives, Varanus brevicauda and V. eremius, which nearly range across the entire arid zone that comprises the majority of the Australian continent.”
“The discovery of the new species highlights the high biodiversity values of the Kimberley region, and the possibility that more exciting finds await,” the scientists said.
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