Varanus griseus caspius (Eichwald, 1831:190)

Wagner, Philipp, Bauer, Aaron M., Leviton, Alan E., Wilms, Thomas M. & Böhme, Wolfgang, 2016, A Checklist of the Amphibians and Reptiles of Afghanistan *, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 63 (13), pp. 457-565 : 503-504

Varanus griseus caspius (Eichwald, 1831:190)

1831 Psammosaurus caspius Eichwald, Zoologia Specialis quam Expositis Animalibus tum Vivis tum Fossilibus Potissimuni Rossiae in Universum, et Poloniae in Specie, in usum Lectionum Publicarum in Universitate Caesarea Vilnensi Habendarum. Pars Posterior; Specialem Expositionem Spondylzoorum Continents, Pars Posterior [= vol. 3]. Jospehi Zawadski, Vilnae [Vinius], Russia [now Lithuania]. (3) + 404 pp., 2 folding pls. (Decima Classis. Amphibia [pp. 116–197]. Explicatio Tabularum [pp. 395–396]. Index Generum [pp. 397–404]).

HOLOTYPE.— Not located (most probably lost), from “in littori orientali caspii maris [= coast of Caspian Sea], ad sinum balchanensem, in peninsula Dardsha [= Dardzha Peninsula, Turkmenistan]”.

LOCALITIES.— 35 mi downstream from Girishk, Dasht-i-Margo Area, Chah-i-Angir ( CAS 84641); between Herat and Islam Qala (Clark 1990, not collected); Murichaq area (J 01–03); Seistan [Faizabad Prov.] ( ZMUC R-4228–29) [see pl. 10, fig. 8 for distribution].

REMARKS.— There are additional photographic records ( Fig. 21 ) from Mazar-i-Sharif held in the ZFMK image library. Boulenger (1889: 99) provides a record from “valley of Hari-rud [river]”, this probably refers to the river valley near Herat.

Figures

FIGURE 21: Varanus griseus from Mazar-i-Sharif. Photo by M. Faulde.