Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Forgive me if this is a really dumb question. What is the difference between KORDENSIS and PRASININUS. Arent the both from the same area and arent they both called the same "common" names.

PS. Bob, I got very little work done yesterday thanks to Pacman.
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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.

Hi there Ed...

Yeah, that pacman game can get quite addicting..lmao..

The whole prasinus complex of monitors is currently in a state of utter chaos, when it comes to taxonomy. There have been heated debates and arguments as to whether some individuals of the prasinus group should be considered full species, subspecies, or just a color 'morph' or variant.

Currently, I believe that kordensis is listed as a valid species, as Hans Jacobs(2001) as well as Zeigler and Bohme(1997), studied the morphological differences in the reproductive organs of 'kordensis' and 'prasinus', and have found the two to be drastically different. Because the hemipenes are of different shape and size, the likelihood of these two animals of being able to successfully reproduce is scarce, hence the justification of claiming it to be a separate species. It's like a puzzle.. where the pieces fit evenly together.. If a kordensis male tried to copulate with a prasinus male, chances are, the puzzle pieces wouldn't match up, and you wouldn't get a successful mating. I do not believe if this has been demonstrated or studied in captivity, but to me, if the structures are noticeably different, than I would have to believe that they are in fact separate species. Regardless, further work is needed to be done, to clear of some of the confusion.

There are noticeable physical differences between the two taxon, as V. prasinus has a richer, more vibrant adult color, while V. kordensis has a more drab, olive adult coloration. V. kordensis also has a pattern which is comprised of ocelli, as opposed to the chevron bands that V. prasinus has. I have seen a few V. prasinus whose chevrons appear to be made up of ocelli, arranged in a banding arrangement, however, in V. kordensis, the ocelli are more scattered and sporadic, and do not form these such bands.

V. prasinus comes from mainland Papua, which is made of up Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya(West Papua), whereas V. kordensis originates from the island of Biak, which is located off the northeastern coast of mainland Papua, and off the northwestern coast of the Vogelkop peninsula.

So basically, the true status of 'kordensis' has been debated for many years between the 'lumpers'(who tend to lump similar animals of a 'complex' together into one species) and 'splitters'(who prefer to split similar members of a 'complex' into many different species). Nevertheless, this diversified group of monitors desperately needs taxonomic revision, especially with the abundance and discovery of several "new" variants, discovered on many of the neighboring islands of Papua...

But I am able see a noticeable difference in the two by color and pattern.. Although not as colorful as V. prasinus, I still have an admiration for V. kordensis, as I do with all members of the complex.

Here are two comparisons of a prasinus and a kordensis:

Varanus kordensisphotos taken from www.remix-net.co.jp)



Varanus prasinus:



I hope this helps clear up a little bit of the confusion..hahaha.. but the prasinus group is a nightmare when it comes to their true status within Varanus. Cheers Ed, have a wonderful day... Take care,

Bob
TREEMONITORS.COM

With the pictures you posted I can tell the difference now. I have seen pictures of each and noticed the physical difference, but I just thought they were from different locals and were basically the same monitor.

Thanks for the great info, and good luck with the breeding. Keep the pictures coming on all the forums.
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Ed

There are chameleons, pythons, and monitors in my jungle room.