Mesalina | |
---|---|
Small-spotted lizard (Mesalina guttulata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Lacertidae |
Subfamily: | Lacertinae |
Genus: | Mesalina Gray, 1838 |
Species | |
20 species, see text. |
Mesalina is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae.
The following 20 described species are recognized as being valid. [1]
Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Mesalina.
Asaccus is a genus of geckos, commonly known as Southwest Asian leaf-toed geckos, in the family Phyllodactylidae.
Hemidactylus is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has 192 described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtropical parts of Africa and Europe. They excel in colonizing oceanic islands by rafting on flotsam, and are for example found across most of Polynesia. In some archipelagoes, cryptic species complexes are found. Geckos like to live in and out of houses. They have been introduced to Australia.
Pristurus is a genus of geckos native to Arabia and Socotra Island as well as the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Species of Pristurus are commonly known as rock geckos .
Ptyodactylus is a genus of geckos, which are commonly known as fan-fingered geckos. The genus has 12 described species.
Phrynocephalus is a genus which includes 33 species of small and medium-sized agamid lizards, commonly called toadhead agamas or toad-headed agamas, that inhabit open arid and semiarid environments of Asia and Eastern Europe. The systematics of this genus are very complicated with many controversial points of view about the unclear phylogeny of this group. All representatives of this genus have adopted the so-called "sit and wait" hunting strategy and they actively use visual orientation when watching for food. In general, the ecological niche and role of Phrynocephalus species in lizard communities of arid environments of Asia are poorly studied, but seem to be similar to that of Phrynosoma, Cophosaurus, Holbrookia, Uta, and Sceloporus in the New World, as well as Moloch in Australia.
Ophiomorus is a genus of Old World skinks. The limbs are either reduced or absent, depending on the species. They are sometimes known as limbless skinks or snake skinks. Members of the genus live under rocks or in burrows.
Scincus is a genus of skinks, lizards in the family Scincidae. The genus contains four or five species, all of which are typical desert inhabitants, living in sandy and dune-like areas with a hot and dry climate. Species in the genus Scincus can be found from Arabia to the Sahara desert.
Acanthodactylus is a genus of lacertid lizards, commonly referred to as fringe-fingered lizards, fringe-toed lizards, and spiny-toed lizards.
Pseuderemias is a genus of lizards of the family Lacertidae. Common names for the genus are false sand lizards or racerunners.
Trachylepis is a skink genus in the subfamily Mabuyinae found mainly in Africa. Its members were formerly included in the "wastebin taxon" Mabuya, and for some time in Euprepis. As defined today, Trachylepis contains the clade of Afro-Malagasy mabuyas. The genus also contains a species from the Brazilian island of Fernando de Noronha, T. atlantica, and may occur in mainland South America with Trachylepis tschudii and Trachylepis maculata, both poorly known and enigmatic. The ancestors of T. atlantica are believed to have rafted across the Atlantic from Africa during the last 9 million years.
Mesalina simoni, known commonly as Simon's desert racer, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Morocco.
Asaccus gallagheri, also known commonly as Gallagher's gecko or Gallagher's leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula and occurs in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Mesalina arnoldi is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Yemen.
Mesalina balfouri is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Socotra.
Mesalina brevirostris, also known as Blanford's short-nosed desert lizard, is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. It occurs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, and United Arab Emirates.
Edwin Nicholas Arnold was a British herpetologist and the Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum, London. Arnold made seminal contributions to the herpetology of Europe and North Africa, especially on geckos and lizards of the family Lacertidae. He discovered and described 36 species and 4 subspecies of reptiles, and wrote A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe, which appeared over multiple editions. Arnold died of heart failure on 23 September 2023, at the age of 82.