Open AccessNeurocranial osteology and systematic relationships of Varanus ( Megalania ) prisca Owen, 1859 (Squamata: Varanidae)
Author(s) -
HEAD JASON J.,
BARRETT PAUL M.,
RAYFIELD EMILY J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
zoological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.148
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1096-3642
pISSN - 0024-4082
DOI - 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00448.x
Subject(s) - biology , squamata , osteology , clade , zoology , neurocranium , monophyly , anatomy , sister group , evolutionary biology , phylogenetic tree , skull , biochemistry , gene
The neurocranial osteology of the giant monitor lizard Varanus ( Megalania ) prisca Owen, 1859 is described in detail for the first time. Optimization of neurocranial characters onto phylogenetic topologies for varanoids, including Lanthanotus , Heloderma, and Varanus species nests V. prisca within an Indo‐Australian clade of Varanus on the basis of characters of the otic capsule. A sister‐taxon relationship between V. prisca and Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912 is proposed based on apomorphies of the crista prootica, fenestra vestibuli, occipital recess, and supraoccipital. These results support a monophyletic clade of giant monitors among Indo‐Australian species, and unambiguously synonymize Megalania with Varanus at both generic and subgeneric levels. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2009, 155 , 445–457.