Varanus (Empagusia) Explained

Empagusia is a subgenus of monitor lizards in South to Southeast Asia, which includes medium to large species.

Classification

The black rough-necked monitor (V. rudicollis) was previously part of this subgenus, but genomic analyses show that it is actually the basalmost member of the closely related subgenus Soterosaurus, also known as the water monitors.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Brennan . Ian G . Lemmon . Alan R . Lemmon . Emily Moriarty . Portik . Daniel M . Weijola . Valter . Welton . Luke . Donnellan . Stephen C . Keogh . J Scott . 2020-06-10 . Phylogenomics of Monitor Lizards and the Role of Competition in Dictating Body Size Disparity . Systematic Biology . 70 . 1 . 120–132 . 10.1093/sysbio/syaa046 . 1063-5157.