Varanus ornatus (Daudin, 1803)

Pauwels, Olivier S. G., Morelle, Stephan, Albert, Jean-Louis, Carlino, Piero, Rahola, Nil & Trape, Jean-François, 2019, New reptile records from Lékédi Park and Haut-Ogooué Province, southeastern Gabon, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 174) 13 (1), pp. 143-161 : 148

Varanus ornatus (Daudin, 1803)

Pearson et al. (2007) presented a picture of a monitor taken in Plateaux Batéké NP that they identified as “ Varanus sp. (probably V. niloticus ).” The photo shows a juvenile individual with five transversal rows of ocellae on the back between the fore and hindlimbs, as is typical for V. ornatus . A photograph of another individual from Plateaux Batéké NP was presented by Pauwels and Vande weghe (2008:127). On 25 March 2016 SM photographed an adult individual in Bakoumba ( Fig. 12 ). On 22 October 2016 at midday SM photographed a subadult individual (total length about 70 cm) inside a dead tree standing above the surface of Lékédi Lake in Lékédi Park. New Dept. record and new record for the park (not listed from the Dept. by Pauwels et al. 2007, 2017d,e). Although heavily hunted, this monitor is still abundant in all parts of the country and in all kinds of environments, from pristine forests and savannas to urban areas; it was recorded from nearly all protected areas of Gabon (Pauwels, 2016). Dowell et al. (2015) did not fully resolve the systematics within the Varanus niloticus complex and called for ‘‘urgent taxonomic revisions in this group;’’ until more conclusive results are obtained, we prefer to maintain here the use of the name Varanus ornatus for the Varanus populations found in Gabon.

Figures

Fig. 12. Adult Varanus ornatus in Bakoumba, Haut-Ogooué Prov., southeastern Gabon. Photograph by S. Morelle.