TAXONOMY

Led by the MLSG members VALTER WEIJOLA, ANDRÉ KOCH & MARK AULIYA

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 86 species and 18 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.

Newer scientific papers on taxonomy and phylogenetics related to the Varanidae 

  • Brennan IG, Lemmon AR, Lemmon EM, Portik DM, Weijola V, Welton L, Donnellan SC, Keogh JS (2020) Phylogenomics of monitor lizards and the role of competition in dictating body size disparity. Systematic Biology, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.02.02.931188.
  • Pavón-Vázquez CJ, Esquerré D, Fitch AJ, Maryan B, Doughty P, Donnellan SC, Keogh JC (2022) Between a Rock and a Dry Place: Phylogenomics, Biogeography, and Systematics of Ridge-Tailed Monitors (Squamata: Varanidae: Varanus acanthurus complex). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 173: 107516 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107516

I   Subgenus Empagusia GRAY, 1838 (5 species)

Varanus bengalensis species group (2 species)

1. Varanus bengalensis (DAUDIN, 1802)

2. Varanus nebulosus (GRAY, 1831)

………………………………………………….

3. Varanus dumerilii (SCHLEGEL, 1844)

4. Varanus flavescens (HARDWICKE & GRAY, 1827)

5. Varanus rudicollis (GRAY, 1845)

III   Subgenus Euprepiosaurus FITZINGER, 1843 (26 species)

Varanus indicus species group (17 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 doreanus (A. B. MEYER, 1874)

12. Varanus douarrha (LESSON, 1830)

13. Varanus finschi BÖHME, HORN & ZIEGLER, 1994

14. Varanus jobiensis AHL, 1932

15. Varanus juxtindicus BÖHME, PHILIPP & ZIEGLER, 2002

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

17. Varanus melinus BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 1997

18. Varanus obor WEIJOLA & SWEET, 2010

19. Varanus rainerguentheri ZIEGLER, BÖHME & SCHMITZ, 2007

20. Varanus semotus WEIJOLA, DONNELLAN & LINDQVIST, 2016

21. Varanus tsukamotoi (KISHIDA, 1929)

22. Varanus yuwonoi HARVEY & BARKER, 1998

23. Varanus zugorum BÖHME & ZIEGLER, 2005

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

24. Varanus beccarii (DORIA, 1874)

25. Varanus boehmei JACOBS, 2003

26. Varanus bogerti MERTENS, 1950

27. Varanus keithhornei (WELLS & WELLINGTON, 1985)

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

29. Varanus macraei BÖHME & JACOBS, 2001

30. Varanus prasinus (SCHLEGEL, 1844)

31. Varanus reisingeri EIDENMÜLLER & WICKER, 2005

32. Varanus telenesetes SPRACKLAND, 1991

IV   Subgenus Odatria GRAY, 1838 (3 species)

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

34. Varanus brevicauda BOULENGER, 1898

35. Varanus bushi APLIN, FITCH & KING, 2006

36. Varanus caudolineatus BOULENGER, 1885

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

38. Varanus eremius LUCAS & FROST, 1895

39. Varanus gilleni LUCAS & FROST, 1895

40. Varanus glauerti MERTENS, 1957

41. Varanus glebopalma MITCHELL, 1955

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

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

44. Varanus kingorum STORR, 1980

45. Varanus mitchelli MERTENS, 1958

46. Varanus ocreatus STORR, 1980

47. Varanus pilbarensis STORR, 1980

48. Varanus primordius MERTENS, 1942

49. Varanus semiremex  PETERS, 1869

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

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

Varanus timorensis species group (4 species)

52. Varanus auffenbergi SPRACKLAND, 1999

53. Varanus scalaris MERTENS, 1941

54. Varanus similis MERTENS, 1958

55. Varanus timorensis (GRAY, 1831)

………………………………………………..

56. Varanus tristis SCHLEGEL, 1839

V   Subgenus Papusaurus MERTENS, 1962 (1 species)

57. Varanus salvadorii (PETERS & DORIA, 1878)

VI   Subgenus Philippinosaurus MERTENS, 1959 (3 species)

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

59. Varanus mabitang GAULKE & CURIO, 2001

60. Varanus olivaceus HALLOWELL, 1856

Subgenus Polydaedalus Wagler, 1830

Varanus exanthematicus species group (2 species)

61. Varanus albigularis DAUDIN, 1802

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

62. Varanus exanthematicus (BOSC, 1792)

Varanus niloticus species group (2 species)

63. Varanus niloticus (LINNAEUS, 1766)

64. Varanus ornatus (DAUDIN, 1803)

………………………………………………………

65. Varanus yemenensis BÖHME, JOGER & SCHÄTTI, 1989

Subgenus Psammosaurus FITZINGER, 1826 (2 species)

66. Varanus griseus (DAUDIN, 1803)

  • Varanus g. griseus (DAUDIN, 1803)
  • Varanus griseus caspius (EICHWALD, 1831)
  • Varanus griseus koniecznyi MERTENS, 1954

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

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

68. Varanus spinulosus MERTENS, 1941

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

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

70. Varanus cumingi MARTIN, 1838

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

72. Varanus marmoratus (WIEGMANN, 1834)

73. Varanus nuchalis (GÜNTHER, 1872)

74. Varanus palawanensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

75. Varanus rasmusseni KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

Varanus salvator species group (1 species)

76. 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

………………………………………………………………………………..

77. Varanus samarensis KOCH, GAULKE & BÖHME, 2010

78. Varanus togianus (PETERS, 1872)

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

79. Varanus giganteus (GRAY, 1845)

Varanus gouldii species group (1 species)

80. Varanus gouldii (GRAY, 1838)

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

……………………………………………………………………….

81. Varanus komodoensis OUWENS, 1912

82. Varanus mertensi GLAUERT, 1951

83. Varanus panoptes STORR, 1980

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

84. Varanus rosenbergi MERTENS, 1957

85. Varanus spenceri LUCAS & FROST, 1903

86. Varanus varius (SHAW, 1790)