Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768)

Hakim, Jonathan, Trageser, Scott J., Ghose, Animesh, Rashid, Sheikh Muhammad Abdur & Rahman, Shahriar Caesar, 2020, Amphibians and reptiles from Lawachara National Park in Bangladesh, Check List 16 (5), pp. 1239-1268 : 1254

Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768)

Material examined. BANGLADESH • 1 subadult; Syl- het Division, Moulvibazar District , Kamalganj Upazila, LNP, near western Chevron guard station; 24°20.03′N, 091°48.11′E; 16 Jun. 2014; 13:22; photo voucher ZRC ( IMG) 2.226a-c .

Identification. The single V. salvator found in the park was a large monitor (~ 2 m) distinguished from V. fla- vescens and V. bengalensis by its larger size, relatively narrower head than V. flavescens , and more forward-oriented nostrils than V. bengalensis ( Kabir et al. 2009) .

Taxonomic notes. This record represents the only sighting of V. salvator in the park. It was published as a division record from Sylhet Division ( Ghose et al. 2016).

Habitat. The record was made in disturbed forest.

Remarks. The individual reported here was pointed out to us by a local security guard, who found it dead on railway tracks with its head nearly severed by a train. The existence of only one record for a large, easily visible species like V. salvator is striking, and together with the fact that the specimen was discovered next to the rail- road tracks has led us to consider whether the one occurrence may have been a human-aided translocation rather than evidence of a permanent population. However, V. salvator is highly mobile and has the potential to disperse widely, and it is possible that individuals of the species move in and out of the park boundaries on their own.