Varanus indicus (Daudin, 1802)

Ziegler, Thomas, Schmitz, Andreas, Koch, André & Böhme, Wolfgang, 2007, A review of the subgenus Euprepiosaurus of Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae): morphological and molecular phylogeny, distribution and zoogeography, with an identification key for the members of the V. indicus and the V. prasinus species groups, Zootaxa 1472 (1), pp. 1-28 : 23

A Varanus indicus group

1 a Entirely dark tongue ............................................................................................................. Varanus indicus (dorsum dark brownish-black, with small whitish-yellow spots, mostly smaller than an area covered by five scales; lack of blue pigmentation, even on the tail of juveniles; light, patternless throat; absence of a light, dark-bordered postocular / supratemporal stripe; very low midbody scale counts: 106–137)

1 b Tongue dark violet, with light tines .............................................................................................. V. yuwonoi (anterior one-third to one-half of the dorsum blackish and with few wide bands, the caudal half of the body finely speckled with yellowish green, blue, and black; large black blotches on the sides of the neck; light throat, with indistinct dark marbling; dark temporal stripe; tail with blue colour; high midbody scale counts: 174–188)

1 c Tongue dark bluish or greyish pigmented anteriorly, becoming distinctly lighter laterally and posteriorly2

1 d Light tongue, with an ill-defined dark pigmentation in the anteriormost part............................................. 3

1 e Entire tongue light, pinkish.......................................................................................................................... 4

2 a Dorsum uniformly grey to greenish-olive, without distinct pattern ............................................ V. zugorum (very slender habitus, with a particular elongated neck; temporal streak lacking)

2 b Dorsum grey with transversal rows of ocelli ........................................................................... Varanus sp. n. (ocelli blackish with yellow centres and rarely with small dark central blotch; snout tip blunt in larger specimens; blackish temporal band, framed below by a light stripe; see Ziegler et al. in press)

3 a First third of tail roundish; tail lacking a differentiated double keel on the dorsal .................. V. juxtindicus (brown dorsum with yellow spots; throat light, patternless; temporal stripe absent; low midbody scale counts: 128–140; at least adult males with swollen parietal region)

3 b First third of tail not roundish; tail dorsally with a continuous double keel................................................ 8

4 a Temporal band absent .................................................................................................................................. 5

4 b Temporal band present................................................................................................................................. 6

5 a Yellow ground coloration in adults ................................................................................................ V. melinus (in contrast to the yellow ground coloration of the adults with a more or less developed dark marbling, the hatchlings are blackish with a light pattern of transverse rows of yellow ocelli; throat unpatterned; low midbody scale counts: 124–133)

5 b Dorsum greyish-brown to blue-grey, with transversal rows of ocelli .......................................... V. doreanus (tail with blue coloration; densely marbled throat; high midbody scale counts: 154–180)

6 a Throat pinkish, reddish or orange ("peach-throated monitor lizard"); angular head .................. V. jobiensis (slender species with long neck and distinct pointed head; dark olive dorsum with dark transversal banding and numerous tiny light spots; tail is blue-turquoise banded)

6 b Throat light (but not pinkish, reddish or orange), with or without few spots; no distinctly enlarged eyes 7

7 a Distinct ocellate dorsal pattern in adults, without turquoise tinge and without large crossbands; outer genitals with bilaterally developed paryphasma ornamentation ........................................................... V. finschi (dorsum grey with transversal pattern of light ocelli, that are framed by black and contain a small dark centre; whitish throat with few small grey blotches; dark temporal band, that is bordered above and below by a row of light blotches)

7 b If at all, only rudimentary ocellate pattern in adults; dorsum instead either with distinct turquois tinge or few large dark transversal crossbands; outer genitals with only unilaterally developed paryphasma ornamentation .................................................................................................................................................... 8

8 a Light blue to turquoise tinge of the head, neck, body, dorsum, limb and tail coloratio ....... V. caerulivirens (dorsum with more or less discernible rows or rudiments of rows of ocelli; temporal band dark, framed by yellowish to turquoise scales; high midbody scale counts: 170–185)

8 b Crossbanded dorsal pattern in adults (quite distinct from the juvenile pattern, that consists of adjacent rows of light-centred ocelli); lack of blue coloration in the tail ........................................ V. cerambonensis (with a well defined yellow, 1–4 scales wide temporal stripe, bordered above and below by dark bands; medium midbody scale counts: 131–150; entire light tongue only in juveniles)