Mesalina olivieri

Mesalina olivieri
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Mesalina
Species:	M. olivieri
Binomial name
	Mesalina olivieri; (Audouin, 1829)
Synonyms
	Lacerta olivieri; Audouin, 1829; Eremias guttulata olivieri; — Boulenger, 1921; Eremias olivieri; — Papenfuss, 1969; Mesalina olivieri; — Szczerbak, 1975;

Last updated March 29, 2026

Mesalina olivieri, also known commonly as Olivier's sand lizard, is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Etymology

The specific name, olivieri, is in honor of French entomologist Guillaume-Antoine Olivier.^[3]

Geographic distribution

Mesalina olivieri occurs in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Mesalina olivieri are desert, grassland, and shrubland at altitudes of 0–1,000 m (0–3,281 ft).^[1]

Behavior

Mesalina olivieri is terrestrial and diurnal.^[1]

Diet

Mesalina olivieri preys predominately upon ants, but also other small arthropods.^[1]

Reproduction

Mesalina olivieri is oviparous.^[2] Clutch size is two to four eggs, and each sexually mature female lays at least two clutches per year.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 Wilms T, Wagner P, Niagate B, Al Johany AMH, Amr ZSS, Baha El Din S, Disi AM, Böhme W (2018). "Mesalina olivieri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T164667A1065571. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T164667A1065571.en. Downloaded on 13 May 2019.
1 2 3 Mesalina olivieri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 12 May 2019.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Mesalina olivieri, p. 194).

Audouin, "Victor [sic]" (1829). "Explication sommaire des Planches de Reptiles (supplément), Publiées par Jules-César Savigny, Membre de l'Institut; offrant un exposé des caractères naturels des genres avec la distinction des espèces ". pp. 97–140. In: [Commission des sciences et arts de l'Égypte ] (1829). Description de l'Égypte, ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypt pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. Second édition dédiée au Roi. Tome vingt-quatrieme [Volume 24] Histoire naturelle, Zoologie. Paris: C.L.F. Panckoucke. 579 pp. (Lacerta olivieri, new species, pp. 122–125). (in French).
Sindaco, Roberto; Jeremčenko, Valery K. (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic: 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. ISBN 978-88-89504-14-7.
Trape, Jean-François; Trape, Sébastien; Chirio, Laurent (2012). Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. Paris: IRD Orstom. 503 pp. ISBN 978-2709917261. (in French).

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[iucn-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Wilms T, Wagner P, Niagate B, Al Johany AMH, Amr ZSS, Baha El Din S, Disi AM, Böhme W (2018). "Mesalina olivieri ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T164667A1065571. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T164667A1065571.en. Downloaded on 13 May 2019.

[RDB-2] 1 2 3 Mesalina olivieri at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 12 May 2019.

[3] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Mesalina olivieri, p. 194).

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