Varanus phosphoros, known commonly as the yellow-headed rock monitor, is a species of small-bodied, rock-adapted monitor lizard endemic to Far North Queensland. It was formally described in 2026 along with its close relatives Varanus iridis and Varanus umbra. The three species form part of a clade which diverged from other Odatrian monitor lizards around 7 million years ago.
The specific name comes from the Greek 'phōs', meaning light, and 'phérō', which means to bear or carry, in reference to its bright pattern of ocelli.
The species was well known to local herpetologists, who thought of it as a local adaptation of another species. This was refuted by genetic analysis, which demonstrated that the genetic difference between it and the other species of its clade was greater than with many other already recognised species of monitor lizard.
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