Abstract

We describe a new species of the Varanus indicus group (subgenus Euprepiosaurus ) from the Kei Islands, Indonesia, which differs from its close relative V. indicus by a light tongue, a conspicuous color pattern composed of distinct yellowish ocelli on a blackish ground color and by some scalation characters. From its more distantly related, but morphologically similar relative V. finschi it differs by its midbody scale count and by some peculiarities of its scale microstructure. The new taxon, endemic to the Kei Islands, is also discussed in the light of conservation problems for many Indonesian island endemics.

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