TAXONOMY

Here the number of monitor lizard species currently recognized are listed and allocated to their specific subgenera, followed by their describers and the year of description.

Species are taxonomically named in GENUS – SUBGENUS -SPECIES – (SUBSPECIES).

  • Currently 11 subgenera are recognized, some of which can be allocatted to species-groups (indicating very closely related species), however these groupings may change due to e.g., novel phylogenetic research.
  • At present 89 species and 13 subspecies (incl. the nomino-typic taxon) are subordinated to the GENUS Varanus described by MERREM in 1820. In contrast to the reptile database, where 85 species are listed, we list Varanus ornatus with reservations; more recent genetic studies remain to be seen.
  • For more recent publications on taxonomic and phylogenetic research > see on the right.

I   Subgenus Empagusia GRAY, 1838 (5 species)

Varanus bengalensis species group (2 species)

1. Varanus bengalensis (DAUDIN, 1802)

2. Varanus nebulosus (GRAY, 1831)

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3. Varanus dumerilii (SCHLEGEL, 1844)

4. Varanus flavescens (HARDWICKE & GRAY, 1827)

5. Varanus rudicollis (GRAY, 1845)

III   Subgenus Euprepiosaurus FITZINGER, 1843 (19 species)

Varanus indicus species group (14 species)

6. Varanus indicus (DAUDIN, 1802)

7. Varanus bennetti WEIJOLA, VAHTERA, KOCH, SCHMITZ & KRAUS, 2020

8. Varanus caerulivirens ZIEGLER, BÖHME & PHILIPP, 1999

9. Varanus cerambonensis PHILIPP, BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 1999

10. Varanus colei BÖHME, JACOBS, KOPPETSCH & SCHMITZ 2019

11. Varanus juxtindicus BÖHME, PHILIPP & ZIEGLER, 2002

12. Varanus douarrha (LESSON, 1830)

13. Varanus lirungensis KOCH, ARIDA, SCHMITZ, BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 2009

14. Varanus melinus BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 1997

15. Varanus obor WEIJOLA & SWEET, 2010

16. Varanus rainerguentheri ZIEGLER, BÖHME & SCHMITZ, 2007

17. Varanus chlorostigma (GRAY 1831)

18. Varanus zugorum BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 2005

19. Varanus tsukamotoi (KISHIDA, 1929)

Varanus doreanus species group (4 species)

20. Varanus doreanus (A. B. MEYER, 1874)

21. Varanus yuwonoi HARVEY & BARKER, 1998

22. Varanus finschi BÖHME, HORN & ZIEGLER, 1994

23. Varanus semotus WEIJOLA, DONNELLAN & LINDQVIST, 2016

Varanus jobiensis species group (1 species)

24. Varanus jobiensis AHL, 1932

Subgenus Hapturosaurus BUCKLITSCH, BÖHME & KOCH, 2016 (9 species)

25. Varanus beccarii (DORIA, 1874)

26. Varanus boehmei JACOBS, 2003

27. Varanus bogerti MERTENS, 1950

28. Varanus keithhornei (WELLS & WELLINGTON, 1985)

29. Varanus kordensis (A. B. MEYER, 1874)

30. Varanus macraei BÖHME & JACOBS, 2001

31. Varanus prasinus (SCHLEGEL, 1844)

32. Varanus reisingeri EIDENMÜLLER & WICKER, 2005

33. Varanus telenesetes SPRACKLAND, 1991

IV   Subgenus Odatria GRAY, 1838 (3 species)

34. Varanus acanthurus BOULENGER, 1885   >>>acanthurus species complex

35. Varanus brevicauda BOULENGER, 1898

36. Varanus bushi APLIN, FITCH & KING, 2006

37. Varanus caudolineatus BOULENGER, 1885

38. Varanus citrinus PAVÓN-VÁzQUEZ, ESQUERRÉ, FITCH, MARYAN, DOUGHTY, DONNELLAN, KEOGH, 2022 >>>>>>acanthurus species complex

39. Varanus eremius LUCAS & FROST, 1895

40. Varanus gilleni LUCAS & FROST, 1895

41. Varanus glauerti MERTENS, 1957

42. Varanus glebopalma MITCHELL, 1955

43. Varanus hamersleyensis MARYAN, OLIVER, FITCH & O’CONNELL, 2014

44. Varanus insulanicus MERTENS, 1958   >>> acanthurus species complex

45. Varanus kingorum STORR, 1980

46. Varanus mitchelli MERTENS, 1958

47. Varanus ocreatus STORR, 1980

48. Varanus pilbarensis STORR, 1980

49. Varanus primordius MERTENS, 1942

50. Varanus semiremex  PETERS, 1869

51. Varanus sparnus DOUGHTY, KEALLEY, FITCH & DONNELLAN, 2014

52. Varanus storri MERTENS, 1966   >>> acanthurus species complex

Varanus timorensis species group (4 species)

53. Varanus auffenbergi SPRACKLAND, 1999

54. Varanus scalaris MERTENS, 1941

55. Varanus similis MERTENS, 1958

56. Varanus timorensis (GRAY, 1831)

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57. Varanus tristis SCHLEGEL, 1839

V   Subgenus Papusaurus MERTENS, 1962 (1 species)

58. Varanus salvadorii (PETERS & DORIA, 1878)

VI   Subgenus Philippinosaurus MERTENS, 1959 (3 species)

59. Varanus bitatawa WELTON, SILER, BENNETT, DIESMOS, DUYA, DUGAY, RICO, VAN WEERD & BROWN, 2010

60. Varanus mabitang GAULKE & CURIO, 2001

61. Varanus olivaceus HALLOWELL, 1856

Subgenus Polydaedalus Wagler, 1830

Varanus exanthematicus species group (2 species)

62. Varanus albigularis DAUDIN, 1802

  • Varanus a. albigularis (DAUDIN, 1802)
  • Varanus albigularis angolensis (K. P. SCHMIDT, 1933)
  • Varanus albigularis microstictus BOETGGER, 1893

63. Varanus exanthematicus (BOSC, 1792)

Varanus niloticus species group (2 species)

64. Varanus niloticus (LINNAEUS, 1766)

65. Varanus ornatus (DAUDIN, 1803)

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66. Varanus yemenensis BÖHME, JOGER & SCHÄTTI, 1989

Subgenus Psammosaurus FITZINGER, 1826 (4 species)

67. Varanus griseus (DAUDIN, 1803)

68. Varanus caspius (EICHWALD, 1831)

69. Varanus koniecznyi (MERTENS, 1954)

70. Varanus nesterovi BÖHME, EHRLICH, MILTO, ORLOV & SCHOLZ, 2015

VIII Subgenus Solomonsaurus BUCKLITSCH, BÖHME, KOCH 2016 (1 species)

71. Varanus spinulosus MERTENS, 1941

VII   Subgenus Soterosaurus ZIEGLER & BÖHME, 1997 (10 species, 4 subspecies)

72. Varanus bangonorum WELTON, TRAVERS, SILER & BROWN, 2014

73. Varanus cumingi MARTIN, 1838

74. Varanus dalubhasa WELTON, TRAVERS, SILER & BROWN, 2014

75. Varanus marmoratus (WIEGMANN, 1834)

76. Varanus nuchalis (GÜNTHER, 1872)

77. Varanus palawanensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

78. Varanus rasmusseni KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

Varanus salvator species group (1 species)

79. Varanus salvator (LAURENTI, 1768)

  • Varanus s. salvator (LAURENTI, 1768)
  • Varanus salvator andamanensis DERANIYAGALA, 1944
  • Varanus salvator bivittatus (KUHL, 1820)
  • Varanus salvator macromaculatus DERANIYAGALA, 1944
  • Varanus salvator ziegleri KOCH & BÖHME, 2010

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80. Varanus samarensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

81. Varanus togianus (PETERS, 1872)

XI   Subgenus Varanus MERREM, 1820 (8 species, 2 subspecies)

82. Varanus giganteus (GRAY, 1845)

Varanus gouldii species group (1 species)

83. Varanus gouldii (GRAY, 1838)

  • Varanus g. gouldii (GRAY, 1838)
  • Varanus gouldii flavirufus MERTENS, 1958

……………………………………………………………………….

84. Varanus komodoensis OUWENS, 1912

85. Varanus mertensi GLAUERT, 1951

86. Varanus panoptes STORR, 1980

  • Varanus p. panoptes (STORR, 1980)
  • Varanus panoptes horni BÖHME, 1988
  • Varanus panoptes rubidus STORR, 1980

87. Varanus rosenbergi MERTENS, 1957

88. Varanus spenceri LUCAS & FROST, 1903

89. Varanus varius (SHAW, 1790)