Varanus Gouldii Research Articles

On heavy dustfall observed with explosive sandstorms in Chongwon-Chongju, Korea in 2002

Abstract Continuous monitoring of sand and duststorms (SD) and associated heavy dustfall (HD) is made in Korea. In particular, accurate measurements of atmospheric dust loadings have been carried out with the tapered element oscillating microbalance method, and satellite detection of dust clouds is included in the analysis. In 2002, we found three gigantic dust clouds that moved over the Korean Peninsula, and associated HD occurred with PM10 values of 1106–3006 μg m−3. In Beijing, China much higher concentrations were recorded, while in SW Japan measured values were up to 986 μg m−3. Two SD occurred in March and April, while the third one occurred unusually in November. During the year, there were nine cases of reddish-brown sand with 18 dusty days. The intensity of HD was extraordinary for the recent decade. It was observed that with invading SD, the higher the PM10 values the lower the PM2.5 loadings. Also, variations of visibility were more depending on PM2.5 variations than PM10 values. It is shown that satellite detection is a useful technique in monitoring SD and HD.

Sand Production Management

Sand production may be inevitable in many fields that have a relatively low formation strength. Sand erosion and settling predictions and sand monitoring are important elements of any effective sand production management strategy. Sand erosion predictions are used to establish tolerable sand production rates, and, thus, well productivity, and to develop cost-effective inspection frequency for critical components. Prediction of critical flow rate to prevent sand settling is important for flowlines that are not designed for pigging. Quantitative sand monitoring is essential in verifying the effectiveness of sand control procedures and in generating an important input parameter for erosion and sand settling predictions. This paper presents equations for predicting sand erosion rate and sand settling flow rate, and assesses the accuracy of these equations. In addition, the paper presents an assessment of the sensitivity of commercially available nonintrusive acoustic and intrusive electrical resistance sand monitors. [S0195-0738(00)00201-6]

Contribution of pits dug by goannas (Varanus gouldii) to the dynamics of banded mulga landscapes in eastern Australia

The densities of pits made by goannasVaranus gouldiiwere estimated in the three distinct zones of banded mulga landscapes (erosion slope, interception zone, and mulga grove) in paddocks of a grazing study in north-western New South Wales, Australia. In light and moderately grazed paddocks, soil pits were significantly more abundant in the interception zones (M=119.057 m−2) than in the groves and erosion slopes (M=16.057 m−2). In the overgrazed paddock there were no differences in densities of pits in any of the zones. In the groves and erosion slopes approximately 70-80% of the pits contained litter, seeds, and fruits. However, on the erosion slopes less than 20% of the pits contained litter and seeds. The data support the hypothesis that soil disturbance byVaranuslizards produces a positive feedback mechanism for the viability of the interception zone and the functioning of banded vegetation landscapes.

Standard and maximal metabolic rates of goannas (Squamata:Varanidae)

Standard metabolic rate and maximal metabolic rate during forced exercise are examined for nine species of goanna (genus Varanus), with body mass varying from 10 to 3,750 g. At 35 degrees C, the common pooled mass exponent for standard metabolic rate is 0.97 and at 25 degrees C it is 0.89, with considerable variation between species (0.43-1.20). Standard metabolic rate at 35 degrees C scales interspecifically with body mass0.92 and at 25 degrees C with body mass0.87. The Q10 for standard metabolic rate is approximately 2.5 between 25 degrees and 35 degrees C. At 35 degrees C, maximal metabolic rate scales intraspecifically with body mass0.79 and scales interspecifically with body mass0.72. Factorial metabolic scope ranges from nine for the larger species to 35 for the smaller species; it scales with body mass-0.199 at 35 degrees C. The maximal metabolic rate of 6.36 mL O2 g-1 h-1 for Varanus caudolineatus is the highest recorded for any squamate. Variations from the interspecific regression line appear to have some ecological significance. Varanus tristis (a widely foraging arboreal goanna) and Varanus eremius (a widely foraging terrestrial goanna) have a higher standard metabolic rate than Varanus acanthurus (a sedentary terrestrial goanna). The three arboreal goannas (Varanus caudolineatus, Varanus gilleni, and Varanus tristis) have a higher maximal metabolic rate than the terrestrial species (Varanus brevicauda, V. eremius, V. acanthurus, Varanus gouldii, Varanus rosenbergi, and Varanus panoptes).

Case 3042 Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 (currently Varanus gouldii) and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata): proposed conservation of the specific names by the designation of a neotype for H. gouldii

Case 3042 Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 (currently Varanus gouldii) and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata): proposed conservation of the specific names by the designation of a neotype for H. gouldii

On the proposed conservation of the specific names of Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 (currently Varanus gouldii) and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata) by the designation of a neotype for H. gouldii

On the proposed conservation of the specific names of Hydrosaurus gouldii Gray, 1838 (currently Varanus gouldii) and Varanus panoptes Storr, 1980 (Reptilia, Squamata) by the designation of a neotype for H. gouldii

Colonizing Cane Toads cause population declines in native predators: reliable anecdotal information and management implications

This paper presents compelling, anecdotal evidence of severe population declines in five predator species, Dasyurus hallucatus, Varanus gouldii, V. mertensi, V. panoptes, and V. timorensis similis, in almost immediate response to Cane Toad colonization of their habitat in three widely distributed areas of northern Queensland. Furthermore, risk assessment of all quoll and monitor taxa whose distributions overlap the potential distribution of the Cane Toad in Australia (Sutherst et al. 1996), indicates that at the continental scale, three of the four quoll taxa and eight of the 20 monitor species examined are at high risk of severe population declines following Cane Toad colonization. One quoll taxon and seven monitor species are at moderate risk and five monitor species are at low risk. The definition of the threat which Cane Toads pose to native predators has received very little research attention, and fundamental questions including; which predator species are most at risk (testing of the risk assessment hypotheses presented here), the extent of these risks (is there a need to manage Cane Toad impacts upon predators?), and the contexts of intraspecific variation in relative extinction risk (for example, interactions of extinction risk with predator and Cane Toad population demography, climate, landscape, and land use), need to be assessed. Assuming that Cane Toads are found to have an impact across a range of taxa and landscapes (which I propose to be likely), management of the impact of this species on predators can be approached from two not necessarily exclusive directions; management of Cane Toad populations and management of predator populations, through both population and habitat management. At this stage, however, management from either viewpoint is constrained by a lack of published information relevant to autecology and fine scale distribution of predators.

The functional anatomy of the anterior end of Skrjabinoptera goldmanae from Australian agamid lizards

AbstractFour muscle groups are responsible for the eversion and retraction of the apical denticles and enlarged pseudolabia in Skrjabinoptera goldmanae (Nematoda: Physalopteridae), which occurs in the lizards Chlamydosaurus kingii, Pogona spp. and Varanus gouldii in Australia. These muscles enable the nematode to bury its anterior portion in the gastric submucosa of its hosts. They comprise three sets which are derived from the somatic musculature and are inserted in the oesophagus and associated organs, and a fourth set of muscles which appears to be derived from the muscular oesophagus itself. These accessory muscle groups are described and illustrated, and from this their mode of action in everting and retracting the pseudolabia is derived. Possible selection pressures which led to their evolution are reviewed.

Seasonal activity and energetics of two species of varanid lizards in tropical Australia.

The field metabolic rates (FMR) and rates of water flux were measured in two species of varanid lizards over five periods of the year in tropical Australia. The energetics of these species were further investigated by directly measuring activity (locomotion) and body temperatures of free-ranging animals by radiotelemetry, and by measuring standard metabolic rate (over a range of body temperatures) and activity metabolism in the laboratory. Seasonal differences in the activity and energetics were found in these goannas despite similar, high daytime temperatures throughout the year in tropical Australia. Periods of inactivity were associated with the dry times of the year, but the onset of this period of inactivity differed with respect to habitat even within the same species. Varanus gouldii, which inhabit woodlands only, were inactive during the dry and late dry seasons. V. panoptes that live in the woodland had a similar seasonal pattern of activity, but V. panoptes living near the floodplain of the South Alligator River had their highest levels of activity during the dry season when they walked long distances to forage at the receding edge of the floodplain. However, during the late dry season, after the floodplain had dried completely, they too became inactive. For V. gouldii, the rates of energy expenditure were 196 kJ kg-1 day-1 for active animals and 66 kJ kg-1 day-1 for inactive animals. The rates of water influx for these groups were respectively 50.7 and 19.5 ml kg-1 day-1. For V. panoptes, the rates of energy expenditure were 143 kJ kg-1 day-1 for active animals and 56 kJ kg-1 day-1 for inactive animals. The rates of water influx for these two groups were respectively 41.4 and 21.0 ml kg-1 day-1. We divided the daily energy expenditure into the proportion of energy that lizards used when "in burrows", "out of burrows but inactive", and "in locomotion" for the two species during the different seasons. The time spent in locomotion by V. panoptes during the dry season is extremely high for a reptile (mean of 3.5 h/day spent walking), and these results provide an ecological correlate to the high aerobic capacity found in laboratory measurements of some species of varanids.

Gastric Nematode Communities in Lizards From the Great Victoria Desert, and an Hypothesis for Their Evolution

This study examines the biology of gastric nematodes in two communities of lizards from the Great Victoria Desert, and develops an hypothesis for their evolution. Abbreviata antarctica A. hastaspicula, A, levicauda, A. tumidocapitis, Skrjabinoptera goldmanae, Kreisiella chrysocampa, Physalopteroides filicauda, Wanaristrongylus ctenoti and W. papangawurpae were recovered from 3023 lizards of 45 species from two different habitats. Genera in the Physalopterinae (Abbreviata, Skrjabinoptera and Kreisiella) exhibited narrow host specificities, Abbreviara and Skrjabinoptera occurring as adults only in larger host species (Varanus gouldii, V. tristis and Pogona minor). P. filicauda and encysted larvae of Physalopterinae occurred widely in the smaller lizard species in all five families represented. Eight of the nine nematode species were recovered from both lizard populations, and differences in prevalence and number of host species infected are discussed in terms of core hosts providing an infective pool. Associations were derived between parameters of infection (prevalence, intensity and abundance) and host size across and within species; abundance of nematodes in Ctenotus skinks correlated with host geographical range. Epidemiological evidence is presented that suggests that termites are intermediate hosts to species of Physalopterinae, and that Orthoptera may be intermediate hosts to P.filicauda. It is suggested that species in the Physalopterinae arose in smaller lizards (where they are now represented by the morphologically primitive Kreisiella), and that they were acquired by large predatory species by host capture, and in which they are now speciating. The small lizards now act as paratenic hosts to their larvae, and the niches left vacant have been occupied by P. filicauda. It is concluded that P.filicauda is at an early non-interactive phase and that Abbreviata and Skrjabinoptera are at an evolutionary phase, and are evolving along with their hosts. Thus, the two principal nematode groups arose at different times in response to the radiation and ecology of their hosts, and are at different stages in their own evolution.

Activity area during the breeding season of Varanus gouldii (Reptilia : Varanidae) in an urban environment.

The activity area of ten Varanus gouldii in Karrakatta Cemetery, Perth, Western Australia, was measured by daily locations obtained by telemetry, during the breeding season (October-December) in 1992. The mean size of activity area was 8.91 ha; activity area was positively correlated with body size. There were significant overlaps in activity areas and no evidence of territoriality for male or female V. gouldii. The animals often foraged in areas of dense leaf litter near the periphery of their activity area and retreated to burrows that were more centrally located.

Neuropeptide Y-immunoreactive neurons in the retina of two Australian lizards.

Wholemounts and sectioned retina from adults of two lizard species, Pogona vitticeps and Varanus gouldii, were studied by immunohistochemistry for neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like immunoreactivity. In both species the morphology of two classes of amacrine cells (types A and B) were described. Cell somata were located mostly in the inner nuclear layer (INL) but were occasionally displaced into the ganglion cell layer (GCL). In the Pogona retina, type A cells had large somata and dendritic arbor that branched in sublamina (S) 1 and 2/3 of the inner plexiform layer (IPL). Type B amacrine cells had smaller somata and dendritic arbor branching mostly in S5 of the IPL. In the Varanus retina, the levels of dendritic branching of types A and B amacrine cells in the IPL were similar to those in Pogona although branching in the middle of the IPL occurred at S3. NPY-immunoreactive cells with small somata and narrow to medium sized dendritic fields were predominant. Unclassified cells also displayed NPY-like immunoreactivity; however, their dendritic morphology could not be determined due to the faint and inconsistent staining. In transverse retinal sections three bands of NPY-like immunoreactivity were evident in the IPL of both species, to which the unclassified cells also contributed. In both species type A cells were most numerous. Total NPY-immunoreactive cells were estimated to be 8,600 in Pogona and 32,860 in Varanus. In both species types A and B cells were non-uniformly distributed across the retina. The most apparent non-uniformity in distribution was observed in type A cells in Varanus. Peak cell density was found across the horizontal meridian of the retina from where cell density decreased towards the dorsal and ventral retinal margins. The results of this study provide evidence for the presence of NPY-immunoreactive amacrine cells in the lizard retina of which two types were morphologically characterized. Cross-species comparisons were also made among NPY-immunoreactive amacrine cells, and their possible function/s discussed.

Erratum: Effects of Body Mass and Temperature on Standard Metabolic Rates for Two Australian Varanid Lizards (Varanus gouldii and V. panoptes)

Erratum: Effects of Body Mass and Temperature on Standard Metabolic Rates for Two Australian Varanid Lizards (Varanus gouldii and V. panoptes)

Effects of Body Mass and Temperature on Standard Metabolic Rates for Two Australian Varanid Lizards (Varanus gouldii and V. panoptes)

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Traditional Aboriginal Learning How I Learned as a Pitjantjatjara Child

As a child I lived at a place called Angatja. My father, mother, grandmother, older brothers, aunts, and uncles taught me there and I learned from them. My mother taught me about her bush foods. She collected the plant foods and prepared them and I learned by watching her. I learned also from my father. He taught about meat foods, cooking the meat, making spears, joining parts of the spears tightly with sinew and going out hunting for meat. My mother would take me out with her. We two went out together to collect small animals and plant foods, hitting sand goannas, and sometimes collecting bush honey. I watched her and gathered some foods and when we all came together in camp we ate the meat and plant foods. My mother gathered various plant foods, native millet seeds, pigweed, roots which grew in the rocks and other seeds. These foods were available in autumn. Other foods were found on trees in spring. These fruits included mistletoe berries, mulga apples, native plums and quandongs. Also the native fig trees grew on small rocky hills.

A note on diving behaviour in the Northern Sand Goanna Varanus panoptes

A note on diving behaviour in the Northern Sand Goanna Varanus panoptes

Field studies on activity and water balance of a desert monitor Varanus griseus (Reptilia, Varanidae)

The sand goanna, Varanus griseus is an ubiquitous terrestrial species which is found throughout the Saharan-Indian desert, especially in sandy wet areas like erg and wadi. The study was confined to two localities in the north-western Saharan desert: the Saoura wadi and the Guir hamada. There were marked differences in the diurnal activity pattern of Varanus griseus, not only in these two areas, but also in the same area. This activity was conditioned more by availability of prey than by climate factors. Water influx and efflux ranged respectively from 0·26 to 3·61 ml (100 g)−1 (d)−1 and 0·86 to 4·54 ml (100 g)−1 (d)−1. Water turnover of individuals in balance was 2·83 ml. (100 g)−1(d)−1. Production of metabolic water was estimated to about 0·30 ml (100 g)−1 (d)−1 at 31°C. A significant correlation was established between activity, diet and water flux.

Differences in Caudal Morphology in Male Abbreviata levicauda (Nematoda: Physalopteridae) in Two Sympatric Species of Varanus (Reptilia: Varanidae)

Abbreviata levicauda Jones, 1983 was described from lizards in the Varanus gouldii complex (including Varanus panoptes and Varanus rosenbergi) in Western Australia, occurring in these hosts with the more prevalent and numerous Abbreviata hastaspicula Jones, 1979 (Jones, 1983, Australian Journal of Zoology 31: 285298). Among the features which distinguish these 2 species of nematode in V. gouldii (sensu lato) are the spacing of the 3 pairs of caudal papillae and the extent of the bursal tubercles in the male. In A. hastaspicula the penultimate caudal papillae [VI of Chabaud (1956, Annale de Parasitologie 31: 29-52)] are closer to papillae pair V than to papillae pair VII (the more usual condition in this genus) and the tubercles extend, thickly set, to the level of papillae pair VII (Jones, 1979, Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 46: 1-14). In A. levicauda, papillae pair VI are placed further posteriorly, close to papillae pair VII, and the medial ventral surface of the tail is smooth and devoid of tubercles (Jones, 1983, loc. cit.). During further studies on gastric nematodes in this genus of lizards, the stomach contents were examined from an additional 20 V. gouldii and from 56 Varanus tristis collected by Dr. Eric Pianka from the arid region of Western Australia (most specimens from 122?50'E, 28?28'S and 123?36'E, 28?12'S), between October 1978 and March 1979. Both A. hastaspicula and A. levicauda were recovered from these 2 host species. In V. gouldii, A. hastaspicula was the dominant nematode (prevalence 100%, mean intensity 176), and A. levicauda occurred in 50% of hosts, at a mean intensity of 8. In V. tristis, A. levicauda was the dominant nematode (prevalence 96%, mean intensity 17), and A. hastaspicula occurred in only 9% (mean intensity 8). In A. levicauda recovered from V. tristis hosts, papillae pair VI were further anteriad than in those specimens recovered from V. gouldii hosts (t = 20.00; P < 0.0001; Fig. 1), and in all specimens there were small scattered tubercles on the ventral tail surface for some distance posterior to the anus. Thus in A. levicauda recovered from V. tristis the spacing of the caudal papillae is similar to the condition in A. hastaspicula, which occurs uncommonly and at low numbers in this host. In V. gouldii, on the other hand, in which these 2 species of nematode occur together frequently, the tail morphology of A. levicauda (posterior

Bottled beverages and typhoid fever: the Mexican epidemic of 1972-73.

A chloramphenicol resistant strain of S. typhi which caused a very large epidemic of typhoid fever in Mexico in 1972-73 survived in opened bottles of one carbonated drink with a pH of 4.6 for two weeks and in another such drink with a pH of 5.1 for six months. Bottled beverages are potential sources of large outbreaks of enteric disease, and deserve the same type of standards sand monitoring as comparable fluids such as milk.

The effects of bilateral adrenalectomy on renal function in the lizard Varanus gouldii (Gray)

The effects of bilateral adrenalectomy and steroid replacement therapy on renal function of the lizard Varanus gouldii are reported during water loading and salt loading. Plasma potassium concentrations increase and glucose concentrations decrease following adrenalectomy; plasma sodium concentrations, however, are unchanged. Normal plasma electrolyte and glucose concentrations are maintained in adrenalectomised animals by the daily injection of 1 mg/kg dexamethasone phosphate and 20 μU/kg glucagon. In salt-loaded animals no change in the renal handling of electrolytes is observed subsequent to adrenalectomy, but the fractional reabsorption of both sodium and chloride ions is significantly reduced in water-loaded animals. Acute injection of exogenous aldosterone significantly increases the fractional reabsorption of sodium ions and enhances the tubular secretion of potassium ions in salt-loaded adrenalectomised animals, and also further increases the fractional reabsorption of sodium ions in water-loaded animals. The data indicate that aldosterone functions as a physiological mineralocorticoid in V. gouldii, acting to limit sodium excretion and promote potassium excretion.