REDISCOVERY AND TAXONOMIC REVIEW OF VARANUS INDICUS SPINULOSUS MERTENS, 1941 Robert George Sprackland Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, Rockefeller Building, University Street, London WC1 E 6JJ, United Kingdom ABSTRACT Vatanus indicus spinu/osus Mertens was described from a single male specimen in 1941, and had not been collected again until 1989. Five new specimens, all female, two preserved and three alive, are described and compared with Vatanus indicus. Based on distinctive morphology, this taxon is elevated to specific status as Vatanus spinu/osus comb. novo Key words: Vatanus spinu/osus; Varanus indicus; monitor lizards; taxonomy; rediscovery; Solomon Islands. INTRODUCTION Most varanid lizards are large, conspicuous carnivores, making them important elements in terresbial vertebrate faunas. Nevertheless, some of the largest species have been unknown to science until rather recently. Examples of such taxa include Gray's monitor, V.olivaceus, described in 1856, but virtually unknown until the 1970s (Auffenberg, 1976, 1988), v.teriae (Spracktand, 1991), and v.yemenensis(Bohme eta/, 1989). A partial explanation for the hiatus between discovery and study must indude the remote localities inhabited by the lizards. Such is probably the case for Vatanus indicus spinu/osus Mertens, 1941, described from a single male specimen from Georgs (= San Jorge) Island, Solomons. Though he dearly felt it was dosely allied to Vatanus Undicus, Mertens distinguished the new taxon by three morphological traits: (1) a shorter, broader, higher snout; (2) melanism; and (3) distinct, spike-like nuchal and dorsal scales. Unfortunately, the holotype (NMW 23387) remained unique until 1989. In 1989 I began a phylogenetic review of the Varanidae by studying the morphology of lizards assigned to the V.indicusgroup, I.e. Vatanus indicus, its alleged subspecies, and V.karlschmidti. Five new individuals of V.i.spinu/osus were discovered, including two preserved animals in private hands, and three live adult females at the Baltimore Zoo. This report provides information on V.i.spinu/osus additional to the description of the holotype, and includes brief notes on the first known captive specimens. The status of Vatanus indicus is uncertain. In his original description, Daudin (1802) provided scant data and a poor illustration of Tupinambis indicus, and no type specimen was designated. Several specimens of "indicus" were later described under new names, including several subspecies, so that twelve synonyms are associated with mangrove monitors (I.e. indict.s Daudin, 1802; guttatus Merrem, 1820 [nomen nudum]; douarrha Lesson, 1830; ka/abeck Lesson, 1830; ch/orostigma Gray, 1831; doreanus Meyer, 1874 [nomen nudem]; rouxi Mertens, 1926; tsukamotoi Kishida, 1929 [nomen nudem]; jobiensis Ahl, 1932; /eucostigma Hediger, 1934 Vapsus]; spinu/osus Mertens, 1941; and karlschmfdti Mertens, 1950). A major goal of this study, to find the "lost" types for the first six of these taxa, and designate neotypes or lectotypes where necessary, is being presented separately. However, the only taxon from the Solomon Islands designated a holotype is V.i.spinu/osus. It is distinct enough in morphology not to be confused with either specimens or descriptions of other mangrove monitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS I examined 236 preserved specimens of mangrove monitors, representing the complete holdings for the BMNH, CAS, MCSNG, MHNP, NMW, RMNH, SMF, 2MB and ZSM. Also Herpetofauna 24 (2) 1994 Page 33