Hemipeneal Morphology of Platynotan Lizards

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Abstract
Descriptions of the hemipeneal morphology of Lanthanotus, Heloderma and Varanus (20 of the 32 recognized species) are presented. All have flounced ornamentation and the sulcus is composed of a single flap proximally. Lanthanotus and Varanus share a synapomorphy not found in Heloderma, i.e., paired horns that are extensions of the main retractor muscle, pierce the dorsal apical tissues of the hemipenis and lie in the central lumen of the retracted organ. Within Varanus there is great interspecific variation in the ornamentation of the dorsal flounces and shape and size of the horns. Subgeneric relationships within the genus are discussed in the light of these findings.

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