Several people have written to me asking for the whereabouts of a citation on Varanus obor - the latest new monitor lizard to be discovered, this time from the Indonesian Moluccan islands. A general article on it can be seen here and the citation with the snappy title of A new melanistic species of monitor lizard (Reptilia: Squamata: Varanidae) from Sanana Island, Indonesia can be found here.Sciencecodex writes: 'The scientific name of this lizard is Varanus obor; its popular names are Torch monitor and Sago monitor. It's called Torch monitor because of its bright orange head with a glossy black body. Obor means torch in Indonesian. It is a close relative of the fruit-eating monitor lizard recently reported from the Philippines. The Torch monitor can grow to nearly four feet in length, and thrives on a diet of small animals and carrion', which puts me firmly in my place because I got the two species mixed up. I really should monitor these new discoveries more closely.
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