Varanus indicus is a mess

18779
Reporter: rdmpage
Type: Feedback
Summary: Varanus indicus is a mess
Priority: Major
Status: Open
Created: 2016-10-13 18:45:20.528
Updated: 2017-04-28 09:44:31.018
        
Description: The monitor _Varanus indicus_ is a mess, probably a consequence of how the Catalogue of Life treats it. A search for _Varanus indicus_ doesn't return the original name but multiple hits with different authors http://www.gbif.org/species/search?q=Varanus+indicus&dataset_key=d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c

Some of these names don't exist, such as "Varanus indicus Mertens, 1941" In this case, the name should be _Varanus indicus spinulosus_ Mertens, 1941, now regarded as a full species. The name _Varanus indicus_ is itself problematic, see http://biostor.org/reference/48965 and http://biostor.org/reference/192991 , but GBIF should return sensible results for this well-known name.]]>
    

Author: mdoering@gbif.org
Created: 2016-10-13 21:24:04.978
Updated: 2016-10-13 21:24:04.978
        
Indeed sth weird going on in CoL. The source record has tha bad information:
http://www.gbif.org/species/110981483/verbatim

But if you look at todays CoL website it is correct as a subspecies:
http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/search/all/key/Varanus+indicus/fossil/0/match/1