West African Nile monitor
| West African Nile monitor | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Varanidae |
| Genus: | Varanus |
| Subgenus: | Polydaedalus |
| Species: | V. stellatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Varanus stellatus | |
The West Africa Nile monitor (Varanus stellatus) is a cryptic species of Polydaedalus monitor lizard from West Africa. It includes the west African form of what was previously considered to be Varanus ornatus. Genetically, Varanus stellatus is a very distinct species, with over 8% uncorrected sequence divergence from either of the V. niloticus races.[1] [2] Physical characteristics that distinguish Varanus stellatus from Varanus niloticus are not known.
References
- ^ Dowell S.A, D.M. Portik, V. de Buffrenil, I. Ineich, E. Greenbaum, S.O. Kolokotronis, and E.R. Hekkala. (2015). Molecular data from contemporary and historical collections reveal a complex story of cryptic diversification in the Varanus (Polydaedalus) niloticus Species Group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.10.004
- ^ https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/04/the-past-and-future-of-floridas-dragon-problem/478905/
.jpg){kind=small} | This lizard article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |