Taxonomy
Varanus indicus was first described by the French herpetologist François Marie Daudin in 1802. Daudin's original holotype of a subadult specimen was collected on Ambon, Indonesia, and has since disappeared from the museum in Paris. Daudin's original name for the species was Tupinambis indicus, an appellation it would carry for 75 years until being renamed as a Varanus.
The generic name Varanus is derived from the Arabic word waral (ورل), which translates to English as "monitor." Its specific name, indicus, is Latin for the country of India, however, in this instance it relates to Indonesia or the East Indies, where the animal was first described.
Due to its large geographic range, Varanus indicus is considered a cryptic species complex of at least four species: Varanus indicus, Varanus doreanus,Varanus spinulosus, and Varanus jobiensis. More research is being done on possible future species within this complex, not surprising since it has had over 25 different scientific names since it was first described.
Read more about this topic: Varanus Indicus