Hi Richard,

I understand fully the problems both politically and practically involved in resolving the gouldii/rosenbergi/panoptes species problems. If you just look at the dot maps provided by Pianka and King, one can see that many of the museum specimens are mislabeled. We have a similar situation here in California. The conservative eastern establishment refuses to admit that we have many unrecognized species here resulting from our highly varied topography/climate and geological history. Only those of us who have studied herps here for many years see the differences. But one researcher, who specializes in salamanders and has all the political pull, has certainly done so with the genus Batrachoseps.

I know you and Wellington were "crucified" when you took on the established order. But from what I hear now, decades later, you have pretty much been justified. Just look at V. keithornei. Cogger may still not recognize it, but everybody in varanid studies does. That should make you feel better.

Since everybody there seems to recognize the need to thoroughly review Australian monitors, hopefully someone will come along with the guts to do it. And I do hope Smith will hurry up on his scalaris revision. That will also be a big help to those of us studying the natural history of monitors.

Harold DeLisle

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