The marbled water monitor (''Varanus marmoratus''), also known commonly as the Philippine water monitor, is a large

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Varanidae The Varanidae are a family of lizards in the superfamily Varanoidea within the Anguimorpha group. The family, a group of carnivorous and frugivorous lizards, includes the living genus '' Varanus'' and a number of extinct genera more closely relat ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Description

''Varanus marmoratus'' can reach a total length (including tail) of .''Marmoratus''
, Monitor-lizards.net

Geographic range

The marbled water monitor lizard is found on various islands of the noveleta, including

Batanes Islands Batanes, officially the Province of Batanes ( ivv, Provinsiya nu Batanes; Ilocano: ''Probinsia ti Batanes''; fil, Lalawigan ng Batanes, ), is an archipelagic province in the Philippines, administratively part of the Cagayan Valley region. It i ...

Babuyan Islands The Babuyan Islands ( ), also known as the Babuyan Group of Islands, is an archipelago in the Philippines, located in the Luzon Strait north of the main island of Luzon and south of Taiwan via Bashi Channel to Luzon Strait. The archipelago consi ...

, northern and central

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

and

Lubang Island Lubang Island is the largest island in the Lubang Group of Islands, an archipelago which lies to the northwest of the northern end of Mindoro in the Philippines. The Lubang Islands are about southwest of Manila. There are seven islands in the gro ...

Reproduction

''Varanus marmoratus'' is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...

Taxonomy

The monitor lizard from

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of 10,571 km2 ( 4,082 sq.mi ) and has a population of 1,408,454 as of 2020 census. It is located off the southwestern coast of Luz ...

, southern

and the Sulu Archipelago was recently described as a new species, '' Varanus palawanensis''. www.reptile-database.org.University of Bonn (2010). "Three new monitor lizards from the Philippines identified". ''ScienceDaily'', 19 May 2010. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100517070208.htm

References

* Deraniyagala PEP (1944). "Four New Races of the ''Kabaragoya'' Lizard ''Varanus salvator'' ". ''Spolia Zeylanica'' 24: 59-62. (''Varanus salvator philippinensis'', new subspecies). * Gaulke M (1999). "''Die Herpetofauna von Calauit Island (Calamianes-Inseln, Provinz Palawan, Philippinen) (Amphibia et Reptilia)''". ''Faun. Abh. Staatl. Mus. Tierk., Dresden'' 21 (19): 273-282. (in German). * * Koch A, Auliya M, Schmitz A, Kuch U, Böhme W (2007). "Morphological studies on the systematics of south east Asian water monitors (''Varanus salvator'' Complex): nominotypic populations and taxonomic overview". ''Mertensiella'' 16: 109-180. * Lagat RD (2009). "A taxonomic account of lizards along established trails in Mts. Palay-Palay Mataas-na-gulod protected landscape, Luzon Island, Philippines". ''Philippine Journal of Systematic Biology'' 3: 17-28. * (''Varanus manilensis'', new species). * Mertens R (1942). "''Die Familie der Warane (Varanidae), 3. Teil: Taxonomie'' ". ''Abh. Senckenb. naturf. Ges.'' 466: 235-391. (''Varanus salvator marmoratus'', p. 254). (in German). * Reyes MAP, Bennett D, Oliveros C (2008). "The Monitor Lizards of Camiguin Island, Northern Philippines". ''Biawak'' 2 (1): 28-36. * Schlegel H (1837). ''Abbildungen neuer oder unvollständig bekannter Amphibien, nach der Natur oder dem Leben entworfen''. Düsseldorf: Arnz & Company. i-xiv + 141 pp. 837-1844 (''Monitor bivittatus philippensis'', new subspecies). (in German). * Wiegmann AFA (1834). ''In'': Meyen FJF (1834). "''Beiträge zur Zoologie gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde. Siebente Abhandlung. Amphibien'' ". ''Nova Acta Acad. Caesar. Leop. Carol., Halle'' 17: 185-268. (''Hydrosaurus marmoratus'', new species, pp. 196–201, Plate XIV). (in German and Latin). {{Taxonbar, from=Q3554675 Varanus Reptiles of the Philippines Reptiles described in 1834 Taxa named by Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann

Description

Geographic range

Reproduction

Taxonomy

See also

References

Further reading