Phenetic relationships among varanid lizards based upon comparative electrophoretic data and karyotypic analyses

Comparative electrophoretic phenotypes of 18 of the 32 species of the lizard genus Varanus have been determined for four proteins. The animals studied were representative of species from Africa, Israel, Southeast Asia and Australia. Malate dehydrogenase (A₂) exhibited a single phenotype throughout. Lactate dehydrogenase (B₄) showed four distinctive electrophoretic forms which grouped the various subgenera as follows: (1) Polydaedalus, Empagusia (African); (2) Psammosaurus (Israel); (3) three species of Varanus, V. gouldii, V. spenceri, V. mertensi (Australian); (4) Dendrovaranus, Indovaranus (Southeast Asian), other Varanus species, Odatria (Australian). Electrophoretic and previously reported karyotypic data were used to interpret the phylogenetic relationships as well as the mode and direction of evolution of these animals. In particular, the results questioned the reality of the subgenus Varanus as a taxonomic unit, since four distinct karyotypic forms and two LDH-B₄ phenotypes were observed for these animals, of which one belongs to another subgenus. Serum albumin and carbonic anhydrase phenotypes were of little use in deciding phenotypic groupings.