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The proteocephalidean cestode Kapsulotaenia chisholmae n. sp. (Proteocephalidae: Acanthotaeniinae) is described from the intestine of the monitor lizard Varanus spenceri Lucas & Frost, 1903 (Reptilia: Varanidae) in Australia. Kapsulotaenia chisholmae n. sp. is compared with its five recognized congeners. The new species differs from K. sandgroundi (Carter, 1943), K. varia (Beddard, 1913) and K. tidswelli (Johnston, 1909) by the anterior position of the vagina to the cirrus-sac. It also differs from K. varia, K.frezei Schmidt & Kuntz, 1974 and K. saccifera (Ratz, 1900) by a different egg number in each clusters (8-13 in K. chisholmae versus 12-20, 90-100 and more than 100, respectively), from K. frezei and K. saccifera by a different cluster shape (spherical to oval versus banana-shaped in the latter two species), from K. sandgroundi and K. tidswelli by a greater diameter of the embryophore (37-45 pm versus 25-30 pm and 19-32 pm, respectively); from K. sandgroundi and K. varia (sensu Nybelin, 1917), by the absence of a vaginal sphincter. Finally, K. chisholmae differs from K. varia, K. tidswelli, K.frezei and K. saccifera by a larger size (length of the strobila up to 315 mm versus 30 mm, 27-30 mm, 40 mm, and 10-40 mm, respectively). We consider K. saccifera to be a species inquirenda due to its very poor description (no illustration, nor description of the scolex, number of testes, cirrus-sac ratio, testis field, uterine branches number, etc.). Specimens redescribed by Nybelin (1917) as K. varia (Beddard, 1913) are considered to be another, yet unnamed species of Kapsulotaenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is high potential for conservation of species outside protected areas, it is often neglected in researches and conservation programs. Protected species are legally protected even outside the protected areas and can be flagships for conservation in these areas, but their conservation aspects in these areas are poorly studied. We studied conservation aspects of a poorly known species, Yellow Monitor ( Varanus flavescens ), which is protected in most of its range countries, outside the protected areas in the Far-western lowlands of Nepal. We studied people's relationship, attitudes and threats to the species through questionnaire survey with adults and children in Parasan Village Development Committee of Kanchanpur District. We found that most of the adults were unaware about the protected status and importance of the species, and both adults as well as children killed the species. The study revealed that most of the killing occurred in agricultural land and children were more responsible for the killing than the adults. We found that monsoon vacation in schools increased the threat to the species. Our study revealed that fear from the species was the main reason and use of the species as food, medicine and hide were other reasons for killing of the species by adults. Low awareness was the major reason behind the killing by children as most of the killing was not related to any good reasons. We estimated that 87 individuals of the species could have been killed in the area in that year. Based on available evidences, we recommend further studies to predict the vulnerability of the species. Our study suggests that raising awareness among locals about its legal status and importance is the simple and efficient measure for the conservation of the species as well as for conserving other protected species outside the protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tree hollows are a major feature within Australian habitats and an important functional resource for many species in terms of shelter, reproduction, and thermoregulation. Water-filled tree hollows, or phytotelmata, also function as a valuable resource, but their use is only scarcely documented. We used camera trapping to determine which vertebrate species were utilising a known water-holding hollow in dry woodland habitat, and assessed whether antagonistic behaviour, such as hoarding of the resource, was occurring. Camera footage was obtained over a period of three days and nights, and species' use of the hollow analysed. A total of seven vertebrates (one frog, two reptile and four mammal species) were recorded using the hollow, which included diurnal and nocturnal species. Use by the Feathertail Glider was the most frequent compared to other species. The study highlights an ecological significance of water-filled hollows that should be considered in the management of dry woodland habitats, where the availability of these resources may be depleted by land clearing and loss of existing hollow-bearing trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the attempt of a White-bellied Sea-Eagle Haliaeetus leucogaster on feeding the world's largest lizards, Water monitor Varanus salvator in Sumatra, Indonesia. It highlights several reptiles feed by the sea-eagle including aquatic snakes, lizards and freshwater turtles. It notes that the Water Monitor is swift, agile and intelligent lizards but the Sea-Eagle had fatally wounded the due to the repeated attack.

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The article focuses on an update of herpetologist Wolfgang Bohme's checklist of the living monitor lizards of the world. Ten new species and one new subspecies have been added to the checklist issued in 2003, which was adopted as the standard reference for the Varanidae by the 12th Conference of the Parties to CITES in November 2002. Researchers generally did not include Chresonyms, except for names with a changed taxonomic status exemplified by subspecies names, that were elevated to species level or when a new species is separated from a long re- cognized species.

The article discusses research on two monitor lizards with a novel herpesvirus. It references a study by Daniel P. Shaw and colleagues, published in the 2010 issue of the "Journal of the Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation." The researchers examined the effect of the virus on the development of enteritis and hepatitis. They found that a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is helpful in examining a portion of the herpesvirus polymerase gene.

The mitochondrial genomes of the Komodo monitor (Varanus komodoensis) and the Nile monitor (V. niloticus) were previously shown to have an extensive gene rearrangement. Here, we show that this gene arrangement widely occurs in varanid taxa originated from Africa, Asia and Australasia. Based on phylogenetic relationships of the varanids constructed using mitochondrial DNA sequences encoding the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene and seven flanking tRNA genes, we estimated their divergence times by the Bayesian method without assuming the molecular clock. The results suggested that the mitochondrial DNA gene rearrangement took place once in an ancestral varanid lineage in the Paleocene or earlier. Our results are more consistent with Cenozoic over-water dispersal of Southeast Asian varanids across the Indonesian Archipelago rather than the Cretaceous Gondwanan vicariance for the origin of Australasian varanids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]