Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I dont think this forum has been this active and had this much information since I have been here. Just want to say thanks to everyone for their input, keep it coming.

For clarification could someone post a list of the scientific names and the common names they are associated with along with those that are being contested so that we can all get a better idea of the groundwork of some of these discussions. I doubt I am the only one confused.
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Bennett

beardiedragon.com
Home of the Florida Orange

Well, beardie, I think you know my stance. My opinion is that the common names are generally useless and misleading, as quite frankly they aren't commonly agreed upon between groups (scientists and hobbyists for example).
As to the currently accepted list of species within the genus Tupinambis:
Tupinambis palustris
Tupinambis duseni
Tupinambis longilineus
Tupinambis merianae
Tupinambis quadrilineatus
Tupinambis rufescens
Tupinambis teguixin

And to entice your minds a little more, I think there is in the works a new species description coming out for a species sympatric with T.merianae - sorry folks, it isn't up near Colombia, it's in southern Brazil.

What tupinambis is stating, is that these are the scientific names for each of the seven tegus found in the tupinambis line. That the names Argentine Black & White Tegu, Argentine Red Tegu, Columbian Black Tegu, Golden Tegu, Yellow Tegu, Giant Tegu, Striped Tegu, Blue Tegu, Albino Tegu, Snow Tegu, etc. are all made up by people, such as those in the pet trade or by the breeders themselves. The names have no governing party to control the names so the Tupinambis merianea, which we all call the Argentine Black and White, can also be called the Giant Tegu, or for that matter if I wanted to sell them as "South Americian Salt & Pepper Tegus" I could.

There are some names that we all just accept, mostly because it is hard for some people to even use the scientific/latin name, that we prefer a nickname to use, but the double edge sword to this is that we can argue because I say you have a "Columbian Black Tegu", but you swear it's not! It's a "Common Tegu", but Joe thinks it's actually a "South American Black & White Tegu". We would all agree it's a Tupinambis teguixin and we would all be correct.

I hope this explains tupinambis's standing on common names. We will all still probably use common names since this is these are our pets and we are consumers of the pet industery and not scientists, but I wanted to explain his perfectly sound reasoning. It never hurts to know the scientific name of your pet too.

tupinambis, feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Rick
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No, Rick, thank you for your pretty darned clear post. I don't think it is wrong. Quite correct. Yes, I do think people should learn their scientific names. Is it hard? I used to think so, but the more I used them, the more I realized it was easier to keep straight in my head what was what and related to whom when I only had one name to go by, not the 50 odd morph names some reptiles are abused with (anyone here from the corn snake group reading this?).

I want to point out something else I've been hammering at in this forum, just not directly. Don't be gullible, don't be lazy. People, don't take someones words for gospel, not even mine. Go to the facts, go to the source material, dig deeper for yourself. It may be harder to do, but it is infinitely more rewarding. And I guarantee, you'll learn more about your animals that way.

Thanx, Rick, I bow to your clarity.

Hey y'all-

I just got an e.mail from Lee Fitzgerald, associate professor and faculty curator of reptiles and amphibians at Texas A M, tegu systematics expert, and he thinks the blues are possibly an undescribed species, but he says currently the correct latin name is tupinambis teguixin.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Well, somebody is getting nasty.

Ok, I took your message and put it in the pipe. A search for Lee Fitzgerald cross indexed with tegu on the Ovid Biosis data base turns up 1 paper, one paper alone. It isn't specifically on tegus. Sorry, he may have the position, but like a certain Mr.Bush, he doesn't appear to be doing too good a job for it.

I invite him to please join in the discussion and present his arguments for why he thinks it's T.teguixin.
I keep asking people, where is your proof and all you seem to offer is 'because so there'. I've presented the facts for species definition. Where are their data to back their claim? If they don't have it, they're hiding in a house of cards.

Broadening the parameters, I find that in fact Lee Fitzgerald is fairly well versed in Tumpinambis spp. research. I apologize to him for my hasty conclusion. However, I happily invite him to present his data on how the "blue" classifies as T.teguixin. We've had one person sign in so far, Bill, showing us that his blue has two loreal scales per side, a T.merianae trait, not a T.teguixin trait. C'mon people, don't throw insults, throw data, lets get to the bottom of this instead of standing around and gesticulating.