The Yuwono monitor or tricolor monitor (''Varanus yuwonoi''), also commonly known as the black-backed mangrove monitor or the black-backed 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

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 ...

species complex. (''Varanus yuwonoi'', new species). The tricolor monitor is endemic to the island of Halmahera, in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia.

Etymology

The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, ''yuwonoi'', is in honour of Indonesian herpetologist Frank Bambang Yuwono (born 1958).

Taxonomy

The tricolor monitor is a member of the blue-tailed monitor (''Varanus doreanus)'' species complex along with the blue-tailed monitor,

Finsch's monitor Finsch's monitor (''Varanus finschi'') is a species of monitor lizard in the family Varanidae. The species is found in New Guinea and Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''finschi'', is in honor of German naturalist Friedrich Hermann Otto F ...

, and the

Mussau Island blue-tailed monitor The Mussau Island blue-tailed monitor or Mussau monitor (''Varanus semotus'') is a species of monitor lizard endemic to Mussau Island in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the ''Varanus doreanus'' species complex. Taxonomy The specific name ''sem ...

Description

The fully mature size of tricolor monitors is currently unknown, owing to the great difficulty of observing this species. The largest individual recorded was 1.46 metres (4.79 feet) in total length (including tail) but was not fully grown. The species is strikingly colourful, with a bright blue tail and a yellow body. The tongue is also yellow, a shared characteristic of all species in the blue-tailed monitor species complex. The tail is heavily compressed and the teeth are proportionately very long compared to most monitors, even those which it is closely related to.

Geographic range and habitat

Tricolor monitors are endemic to Halmahera Island, and are primarily found in its inland rainforest, where they are sympatric with the

turquoise monitor The turquoise monitor (''Varanus caerulivirens'') is a species of monitor lizards found in Indonesia. Specifically, it is found on Halmahera Island and in the Maluku Islands. Description The main coloration of the turquoise monitor is black-brow ...

, Rainer Günther's monitor, and possibly the silver monitor.

Diet

Tricolor monitors are carnivorous. They frequent nest mounds excavated by

megapodes The megapodes, also known as incubator birds or mound-builders, are stocky, medium-large, chicken-like birds with small heads and large feet in the family Megapodiidae. Their name literally means "large foot" and is a reference to the heavy legs ...

, which attract smaller birds as well as small reptiles and insects that they may take as prey with their unusually long teeth. They may also consume megapode chicks and are reported to also excavate mounds to eat the eggs inside. This suggests that this species is specialized at ambushing birds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3011165 Varanus Reptiles of Indonesia Endemic fauna of Indonesia Fauna of Halmahera Reptiles described in 1998