The peach-throated monitor (''Varanus jobiensis''), also known
commonly as the Sepik monitor, is a
species of
monitor lizard
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 recogn ...
in the
family Varanidae. The species is native to
New Guinea.
Taxonomy
''Varanus jobiensis'' belongs to the
subgenus
In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus.
In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...
''Euprepiosaurus'', which includes species such as the
blue-tailed monitor
The blue-tailed monitor, blue-tailed tree monitor or Kalabeck's monitor (''Varanus doreanus''), is a monitor lizard of the Varanidae family. It belongs to the ''V. doreanus'' group of the subgenus ''Euprepiosaurus''.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies ha ...
and
mangrove monitor, both of which it is sympatric with in much of its range.
It is likely that this species is actually a species complex of multiple different species that have been diverging since the
Pliocene, and diverged from the ''V. indicus'' species complex 4.7 million years ago.
Distribution
''Varanus jobiensis'' is endemic to New Guinea and surrounding islands such as
Biak,
Salawati,
Yapen,
Normanby, and
Waigeo.
It occurs in
rainforests at altitudes of .
Description
''Varanus jobiensis'' grows up to in total length (including tail). The colour of the throat is white-yellow to red, to which one of its common names refers.
Diet
''Varanus jobiensis'' primarily eats
insects, and sometimes