Description
English: Ornate monitor at the Cincinnat Zoo. Photo by Greg Hume
Date 3 April 2011
Author Greg Hume https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Greg5030
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OrnateMonitor4.jpg

Varanus ornatus is an obsolete name of monitor lizards native to West and Middle Africa. Comprehensive molecular analyses of the group have demonstrated that animals previously assigned to "Varanus ornatus" do not constitute a valid taxon and are actually polymorphisms of two different species; Varanus stellatus and Varanus niloticus. Consequently Varanus ornatus is considered a synonym of Varanus niloticus and "ornate monitor" is a casual term that refers to forest forms of either species (V. niloticus or V. stellatus).