What type of Beardie is this

[Jonno from ERD]

Unfortunately mouth lining colour isn't a consistent characteristic for differentiating P.vitticeps and P.barbata either. Obviously it's not a front on photo but you can still tell it has a yellow mouth yet is obviously P.vitticeps. This is the exception to the rule but does occur.

 

[CamdeJong]

Cheers Jonno. I did digress earlier on the point of inbreeding, but I hadn't considered things like mules. I was more referring to the use of sexual separation in defining taxa. It's a very liquid concept anyway. On the point of the dragon, I shouldn't have tried to justify my opinion in the first place as the only reason for me claiming it was a vitticeps was its general appearance. But being the first one to say vitticeps I didn't want to look like i was pointlessly challenging the general opinion. Good to know my ID was correct. Thanks mate.

 

[CamdeJong]

And yes, there is never a rule without an exception =)

 

[Wookie]

I always hated taxonomy in biology. So vague and contradictory. They define species as animals that can interbreed to produce fertile young but different species do that all the time!

 

[CamdeJong]

Yeah I've just finished my first year of Zoology. Always loved latin names, but taxonomy itself is just plagued by too many differing opinions. It makes for a very interesting and informative topic if you can wrap your head around it, and keeps scientists on their toes as it's always changing, but it can be so confusing.

 

[Jonno from ERD]

Taxonomy will never be an exact science - it is all about trying to strictly categorise what is really just points on a continuum.

By the way, I don't think it's P.vitticeps. The main reason for this is the fact that the spines on the back of the head are in an obvious big arc - one of the key identifying points of P.vitticeps is that those spines are in a straight line.