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According to http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/waglers_pit_viper.htm
female wagler's go through four different phase changes throughout their lives. These being malaysian, sulawesi, kalimantan, and philippine. My question is: Is it four complete physiologically different changes or it is really just four different sub-species?
Brance

Same specie, 4 different Asian locales.(you didn't mention Borneo) Probably MORE locals.
The sub-specie would be Tropidolaemus subannulatus from the Phillipines. (or used to be)
However, with taxononmony changing almost daily, (seems like),
who knows? Maybe Phillipine Wagleri is T.philippensis!

However, Iskandar, D.T. and E. Colin, 2002, believe Tropidolaemus wagleri alboviridis, T. w. celebensis, T.w. philippensis,T.w. schlegelii, and T.w. wagleri are sub-species.

I would hope that Dr. Wuster would weigh in here and correct me and set the record straight, as if anyone would know, it would be him.
How about it Wolfgang?

Randal Berry

At the moment, inthe absence of *published* studies, these are all best considered as subspecies - such is the conventional version.

However, it is an open secret that there are studies on these that have been going on for a number of years now that show there is more than one separate species in "wagleri", but, as they have not yet been published, I do not have any details on that.

Cheers,

WW
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