Reinstatement of Varanus douarrha Lesson, 1830 as a valid species with comments on the zoogeography of monitor lizards (Squamata : Varanidae) in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Valter Weijola A F , Fred Kraus B , Varpu Vahtera A , Christer Lindqvist C and Stephen C. Donnellan D E
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku 20014, Finland.
B Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
C Cell Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Turku 20520, Finland.
D South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.
E School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
F Corresponding author. Email: vweijola@gmail.com
Australian Journal of Zoology 64(6) 434-451 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO16038
Submitted: 24 May 2016 Accepted: 24 March 2017 Published: 26 April 2017
Abstract
The distribution and taxonomy of varanid lizards occurring in the Bismarck Archipelago is revised on the basis of field surveys, examination of museum vouchers and molecular phylogenetic analyses. A total of four species is recorded: Varanus indicus and Varanus finschi on New Britain and some of its offshore islands, Varanus douarrha on New Ireland, Lavongai and Djaul, and Varanus semotus on Mussau Island. V. douarrha, previously mistaken for both V. indicus and V. finschi, is shown to be the only species represented on New Ireland and is here resurrected as a valid taxon based on an integrated approach combining morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial genes suggest that V. indicus is a relatively recent immigrant to the Bismarck Islands, whereas V. douarrha, V. finschi and V. semotus have significantly longer histories in the island group. Together with the recently described V. semotus the revalidation of V. douarrha doubles the number of species known to occur in the Bismarck region and highlights an important component of both local and regional endemism.
Additional keywords: endemism, neotype, New Ireland, taxonomy, Varanus indicus, Varanus finschi.
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