The sago monitor or torch monitor (''Varanus obor'') is a

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 ...

of monitor lizards endemic to the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n island of

Sanana Sanana is a town and administrative center of Sula Islands Regency, North Maluku, Indonesia. This town is located on Sulabesi Island (formerly called Sanana Island). Villages Sanana consists of 11 villages A village is a clustered huma ...

Description

''Varanus obor'' is the only melanistic member of the Pacific monitor (''V. indicus'') group, and the only species belonging to the subgenus ''Euprepiosaurus'', which has prominent red-orange markings on its body. Proportions of the body and the construction of scales most closely resemble ''V. melinus'', which can be found on the islands of

Mangole Mangoli or Mangole (Xulla Mangola - earlier name.) is a large island in the Sula Islands, which are part of North Maluku province in Indonesia. It is located at , east of Taliabu Island and north of Sanana Island. It has an area of 2,142.48 ...

and Taliabu. Most often, ''V. obor'' occurs in coastal

sago palm Sago palm is a common name for several plants which are used to produce a starchy food known as sago. Sago palms may be "true palms" in the family Arecaceae, or cycads with a palm-like appearance. Sago produced from cycads must be detoxified before ...

swamps - a habitat that is underused by other species of the ''V. indicus'' group, but is also frequently encountered in riparian

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s and rainforests. It can reach lengths of 0.8 to 1.5 m in length and weigh between 0.5 and 1.5 kg. The lizard was named ''obor'' (meaning "torch" in

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

) due to its unique coloration. The sago monitor was first seen in the wild by Valter Weijola, who in March and April 2009 visited Sanana. One preserved specimen (the holotype), apparently collected between 1860 and 1866, is housed in Naturalis (formerly Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, later Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum), Leiden, the Netherlands.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2470215 Varanus Lizards of Asia Reptiles of Indonesia Reptiles described in 2010