A TAXONOMIC REVIEW OF THE VARANUS (POLYDAEDALUS) NILOTICUS (LINNAEUS,1766) SPECIES COMPLEX

Authors
BOHME W ZIEGLER T
Citation
W. Bohme et T. Ziegler, A TAXONOMIC REVIEW OF THE VARANUS (POLYDAEDALUS) NILOTICUS (LINNAEUS,1766) SPECIES COMPLEX, Herpetological journal, 7(4), 1997, pp. 155-162
Citations number
31
Categorie Soggetti
Zoology
Journal title
Herpetological journal → ACNP
ISSN journal
02680130
Volume
7
Issue
4
Year of publication
1997
Pages
155 - 162
Database
ISI
SICI code
0268-0130(1997)7:4<155:ATROTV>2.0.ZU;2-7
Abstract
The status of the two nominal subspecies of Varanus niloticus (Linnaeu s, 1766), viz. V. n. niloticus and V. n. ornatus (Daudin, 1803) is re- evaluated based on morphological (colour pattern, scalation, dimension s, outer genitals), ecological, and distributional data. Evidence is p resented that both forms have markedly surpassed the subspecific level and have to be treated as two distinct, though closely related, speci es.