''Varanus telenesetes'', the mysterious tree monitor, is an enigmatic monitor lizard that may actually represent a colour faded specimen of the
green tree monitor.
The species was described based on a single specimen supposedly collected on
Rossel Island
Rossel Island (named after de Rossel, a senior officer on the French expedition of d'Entrecasteaux, 1791-1793; also known as Yela) is the easternmost island of the Louisiade Archipelago, within the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Tree Isl ...
in the
Louisiade Archipelago
The Louisiade Archipelago is a string of ten larger volcanic islands frequently fringed by coral reefs, and 90 smaller coral islands in Papua New Guinea.
It is located 200 km southeast of New Guinea, stretching over more than and spread ...
of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. However, later searches of this island have failed to turn up any specimens and native islanders deny ever seeing it.
It is now believed that the original collection data was in error and that the species occurs on some other, currently unknown, island east of New Guinea.
Description
Like all tree monitors, the body is slender with a long, prehensile tail (~2 times the SVL). It was originally described by Robert Sprackland in 1991 as being similar to the green tree monitor; it was dorsally green with indistinct black chevrons, and the nape and tail were visibly dark green. However, the specimen in question has since become entirely dark grey, appearing as if it was melanistic. It lacks a visible dorsal pattern unless held under alcohol, at which point narrow dark crossbands can be faintly seen.
The underside is cream-colored with deep brown spots and the throat is banded. Unique for tree monitors, the tongue color is yellow (vs. pink) and the soles of the hands and feet are light-colored (vs. dark). The total length of the known specimen is just over two feet, though it is likely that this represents an animal not fully grown as most tree monitors average a total length of around three feet.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3013738
Varanus
Monitor lizards of New Guinea
Reptiles of Papua New Guinea
Endemic fauna of Papua New Guinea
Reptiles described in 1991