Varanus indicus (Daudin, 1802)

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)