MATING BEHAVIOR AND BREEDING OF THE BLUE TREE MONITOR, VARANUS MACRAEI IN AN IN-COUNTRY FACILITY IN INDONESIA: A PRELIMINARY NOTE

Beny Rahmanto, Evy Arida, Abdi Fithria, Mochammad Arief Soendjoto
10.14203/treubia.v49i1.4382
| Abstract views: 785 | PDF views: 1134

Abstract

The Blue tree monitor, Varanus macraei Böhme & Jacobs, 2001 is a tree monitor species favored by reptile keepers. Successful captive breeding was reported from hobbyists and zoos in Europe shortly after its scientific description. Meanwhile, commercial farming to supply international demands has been progressing in Indonesia. However, such successful ex-situ breeding efforts have not yet been documented or published in Indonesia thus far. Therefore, in this, study we describe for the first time the mating behavior and reproduction of a V. macraei couple in an in-country outdoor facility, which is a common husbandry practice for monitor lizard breeders in Indonesia. The male started to approach the female at the beginning of the dry season, in May, with the female showing defensive behavior towards the male, both before mating and after laying eggs, pointing to a seasonal reproductive behavior. Monitor lizards were observed being active during the daytime. Eggs were laid by mid-July 2020. Two of the six eggs laid were revealed to be fertile and hatched after about 23 weeks (5.6 months). The two hatchlings were reared in an indoor enclosure, but only one survived, which showed to be a male.

Keywords

diurnality, dry season, Hapturosaurus, outdoor husbandry, reproduction

Full Text:

PDF

References

Anonymous, 2018. Information on the biology and conservation status of Varanus macraei from Indonesia, In: 83th Meeting of the Scientific Review Group-German Scientific Authority to CITES (Fauna), Brussels pp. SRG 83/5/3

Arida, E., Herlambang, A.E.N., & Mulyadi, M. 2021. The hunt for the Blue tree monitor on Batanta Island, Indonesia: Subsistence on a treasure?. Journal of Tropical Ethnobiology, 4(2): 111–117.

Böhme, W. & Jacobs, H.J. 2001. Varanus macraei sp. n., eine neue Waranart der V. prasinus-Gruppe aus West Irian, Indonesien. Herpetofauna, 23(133): 5–10.

Bennett, D. 2015. International trade in the blue tree monitor lizard Varanus macraei. Biawak, 9(2): 50–57.

Bucklitsch, Y., Böhme, W., & Koch, A. 2016. Scale morphology and micro-structure of monitor lizards (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus spp.) and their allies: implications for systematics, ecology, and conservation. Zootaxa, 4153(1): 1–192.

Dedlmar, A. 2007. Haltung, Pflege und Nachzucht von Varanus macraei. Reptilia 12 (1): 39–41.

Del Canto, R. 2013. Field observations on Varanus macraei. Biawak, 7(1): 18–20.

Harlow, P. 1996. A harmless technique for sexing hatchling lizards. Herpetological Review, 27(2): 71–72.

Jacobs, H.J. 2002. Erstnachzucht von Varanus macraei. Herpetofauna, 24(141): 29–33.

James, C.D., Losos, J.B. & King, D.R. 1992. Reproductive biology and diets of goannas (Reptilia: Varanidae) from Australia. Journal of Herpetology, 128–136.

Mendyk, R. 2007. Dizygotic twinning in the blue tree monitor, Varanus macraei. Biawak, 1(1): 26–28.

Moldovan, D. 2008. Haltung und Zucht von Varanus (Euprepiosaurus) macraei Böhme &

Jacobs, 2002. Sauria, 30 (4): 5–10.

Rauhaus, A., Gutjahr, L., Oberreuter, J. & Ziegler, T. 2014. 7 Jahre Haltung und Nachzucht des Blaugefleckten Baumwarans (Varanus macraei) im Kölner Zoo: Ein Rück- und Ausblick. Terraria/Elaphe, 6: 32–37.

Reisinger, Manfred 2014. Der blaue Waran. Die unglaubliche Entdeckungsgeschichte von Varanus macraei. Terraria-Elaphe, 2014(6): 22–31.

Schneider, A. 2016. Die Nachzucht des Blauen Baumwarans, Varanus (Hapturosaurus) macraei. Reptilia, 21(122): 34–37.

Sprackland, Robert George. 2010. True blue: Care for the rare and challenging blue-spotted monitor. Reptiles Magazine, 18(7): 32–41.

Ziegler, T., Strauch, M., Pes, T., Konas, J., Jirasek, T., Rütz, N., Obereuter, J., & Holst, S. 2009. First captive breeding of the blue tree monitor Varanus macraei Böhme & Jacobs, 2001 at the Plzen and Cologne Zoos. Biawak, 3(4): 122–133.

Ziegler, T., Rauhaus, A., & Gill, I. 2016. A preliminary review of monitor lizards in zoological gardens. Biawak, 10(1): 26–35.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14203/treubia.v49i1.4382
Copyright (c) 2022 Author(s)

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.