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A Bibliographic Recompilation Of The Genus Mesalina Gray, 1838 (Sauria: Lacertidae) With A Key To The Species
Abstract
In this study we review the species of lizards in the genus Mesalina (Lacertidae) and present a new key for their identification. We also obtained five photos of each species from the British Museum of Natural History that illustrate the dorsal, lateral (right and left), and ventral views of the head and the femoral pores of each species. The papers with the original descriptions of each species were reviewed and used in preparation of the key. Some remarks about the habitat, natural history, updated distribution map and previous taxonomic changes are explained.
en Numerous molecular studies emphasized how past climatic oscillations in the Sahara-Sahel have left strong imprints on current biodiversity patterns and identified the Atlantic coast and the Northwest African Mountains as refugia and speciation hotspots. Yet, the biodiversity inventory in the region is still far from complete. We use an integrative taxonomy framework to revise the systematics of the Mesalina olivieri species complex; integrating molecular, morphological, and environmental data, we evaluated levels of genetic and phenotypic differentiation among species/lineages and revised the species distribution limits of the M. olivieri complex, refining the distribution of Mesalina simoni, and Mesalina pasteuri. Our study confirmed one previously unidentified speciation event, leading to the description of Mesalina adrarensis sp. nov. Together with this new species, we also describe the south-western Moroccan populations of M. olivieri as Mesalina simoni saharae ssp. nov. Mesalina adrarensis sp. nov. is sympatric with M. pasteuri and parapatric with M. simoni saharae ssp. nov. in Mauritania and southern Morocco. Based on our revised taxonomy, M. simoni now includes most populations of the M. olivieri complex in Morocco, M. olivieri being restricted in Morocco to the east and southeast of the country. We also build on these results to provide further insight on the biogeography of North Africa. Our results point to a diversification of the complex during the late Miocene, that led to the formation of the four species M. simoni, M. olivieri, M. pasteuri, and M. adrarensis sp. nov. After these four speciation events, high intraspecific diversification processes occurred since the beginning of the Plio-Pleistocene transition, in parallel with the beginning of the humid and arid cycles. Through our phylogenetic analysis, we highlight the existence of high levels of undescribed intraspecific diversity in M. olivieri and M. pasteuri that will need to be addressed in future studies. Moreover, we uncover instances of cytonuclear discordances, stressing the need of considering both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA for integrative taxonomic studies to explore biodiversity.
Sommario
it Molteplici studi molecolari enfatizzano come le passate oscillazioni climatiche nel Sahara-Sahel abbiano avuto un forte impatto sulla distribuzione della biodiversità North Africa, ed identificano la costa Atlantica e le montagne del Nordovest Africano come rifugi e hotspot di speciazione. Tuttavia, la catalogazione della biodiversità in quest’area è, ad oggi, ancora lontana dall’essere completa. Attraverso l’approccio multidisciplinare della tassonomia integrativa, è stata revisionata la sistematica del complesso di specie “Mesalina olivieri”. Integrando dati molecolari, morfologici e ambientali, sono stati valutati livelli di differenziazione genetica e fenotipica tra specie/linee evolutive e rivisti i limiti di distribuzione del complesso di specie M. olivieri, rifinendo la distribuzione di Mesalina simoni e M. pasteuri. Questo studio mette in luce un precedente evento di speciazione, ad oggi non ancora confermato, che ha condotto alla descrizione di Mesalina adrarensis sp. nov.. Inoltre, insieme a questa nuova specie, sono descritte le popolazioni di M. olivieri del sud-ovest del Marocco come Mesalina simoni saharae ssp. nov.. Mesalina adrarensis sp. nov è simpatrica con Mesalina pasteuri e parapatrica con M. simoni saharae ssp.nov in Mauritania e Sud Marocco. In base alla nostra tassonomia revisionata, M. simoni ora include la maggior parte delle popolazioni del complesso M. olivieri in Marocco, e la distribuzione di M. olivieri è ora ristretta all’est e sud-est del paese. Ci si è basati su questi risultati per fornire ulteriori conoscenze sulla biogeografia del Nord Africa. I risultati evidenziano una diversificazione del complesso durante il tardo Miocene, il quale ha condotto alla formazione delle quattro specie M. simoni, M. olivieri, M. pasteuri e M. adrarensis sp. nov.. Successivamente a questi quattro eventi di speciazione, processi di alta diversificazione intraspecifica si sono verificati dall’inizio della transizione Plio-Pleistocenica, in parallelo con l’inizio delle passate oscillazioni climatichenel Sahara-Sahel. Attraverso analisi filogenetiche è stata evidenziata l’esistenza di alti livelli di diversità intraspecifica ancora non descritta in M. olivieri e M. pasteuri, la quale necessità ulteriori approfondimenti futuri. Inoltre, questo studio rivela molteplici esempi di discordanza cito-nucleare, sottolineando la necessità di considerare sia il DNA mitocondriale che nucleare per gli studi di tassonomia integrativa.
Libya has one of the most depauperate reptile faunas in Africa, but it also remains one of the most poorly documented. Although localized collecting was carried out during the Italian colonial period (1912–1943), post-World War II field surveys have largely been limited to El Kouf National Park in northern Cyrenaica and a number of short duration field trips in other parts of the country. A combination of limited accessibility to much of the country and periods of political instability have precluded more extensive herpetological research in contrast to some other regions of North Africa, although there has been active research by Libyan scientists in recent years. In order to provide a starting point for future faunal and biogeographic studies of Libyan reptiles we collected locality data from 3350 museum specimens and 163 literature sources, yielding 683 unique localities which we georeferenced and used to generate a gazetteer and corresponding index maps as well as species maps of each of the 66 species of reptiles confirmed to occur in Libya. Data relating to type material as well as taxonomic and distributional comments are also provided for each taxon. Libyan reptiles include three marine turtles (only one nesting), three terrestrial chelonians (one with two subspecies), 39 lizards (two with two subspecies), and 21 snakes. Tarentola fascicularis (Phyllodactylidae) is a species complex represented by several, as yet undescribed taxa. Three subspecies and one full species of reptile are currently regarded as endemic to Libya, although Myriopholis lanzai, from southwestern Fezzan, is likely to occur in neighboring Algeria. Libya’s fauna is very different form that of its southern neighbors, in which Sahel taxa predominate, but similarities with Egypt, Tunisia, and especially Algeria, are great. The dominant biogeographic pattern in Libya is the contrasts between the narrow Mediterranean zone and the arid zones of the Sahara Desert and steppe-desert transition. However, many species of mesic areas occur sporadically in the arid zone, usually in association with oases, and others seem euryoecious. A secondary pattern is an east-west division of the Mediterranean zone in the Gulf of Sirte, which separates Tripolitanian taxa with faunal ties to the Maghreb from Cyrenaican taxa with affinities to Egypt and even the Middle East.
During recent years several lizard taxa have been added to the faunal list of Iran. Descriptions and new records are scattered in different publications in the herpetological literature. We here present species accounts for 152 species belonging to 43 genera and 10 families up to July 2016. The most diverse family is Lacertidae with 9 genera, 49 species and 2 subspecies, followed by Gekkonidae with 13 genera and 43 species, Agamidae with 5 genera, 18 species and 4 subspecies, Scincidae with 7 genera, 18 species and 2 subspecies, Phyllodactylidae with 1 genus and 10 species, Sphaerodactylidae with 2 genera and 4 species, Varanidae with 1 genus, 3 species and 2 subspecies, Uromastycidae with 2 genera and 3 species, Eublepharidae with 1 genus and 3 species, and Anguidae with 2 genera and 2 species. The current paper provides a dichotomous key including all of the currently recognized lizards of Iran.
By means of both classical and geometric morphometric protocols, the authors analyzed sexual dimorphism and allometry of the head of the lacertid Mesalina balfouri (Blanford, 1881), endemic to the Archipelago of Socotra. As a result, males presented an isometrically bigger head in comparison to females, whereas sexual dimorphism was non-existent in body size and head shape. in addition, a clear ontogenetic change of the head shape emerged. Possible explanations of the observed transformations are discussed.
Description of a new Lacerid lizard tentatively assigned to the artificial genus Eremias-. E. ercolinii from Bud-Bud (central Somalia).
Detailed examination of the only known specimen of Eremias ercolinii Lanza & Poggesi 1975 shows that it has affinities within the Ophisops-Mesalina clade and, on present evidence, is best regarded as a member of Mesalina Gray 1838. However, its exact phylogenetic position will only be confirmed when more material becomes available. Limb proportions and scale form suggest that Mesalina ercolinii probably spends time in low, dense vegetation.
The albumins from 41 species of the family Lacertidae representing a substantial part of genera as well as infrageneric groups of the collective genus Lacerta s.l. were investigated by means of the MCF technique. The data allow a chronological estimation of the most important radiation events and their correlation with paleogeographical facts. Our results are in remarkable contradiction to the phylogeny presented by ARNOLD (1989a) based mainly on morphological characters. The most important phylogenetic relationships are: 1. The genera Gallona and Psammodromus are already isolated from the other taxa since the Oligocene. We assess these main branches as subfamilies Gallotiinae and Lacertinae. 2. Lacerta s.str. and Lacerta subgenus Zootoca form the sister group of the remaining Lacertinae. 3. A colonization of Africa in the Lower Miocene has led to a separation in two lines, with mainly Eurasian and African members respectively. 4. ARNOLD'S (I.e.) "Ethiopian and advanced Saharo-Eurasian clade" proved to be a paraphyletic unit, one group of genera being more closely related to European taxa. All techniques applied to the systematics of Lacertidae hitherto are critically discussed. An area-time-hypothesis concerning the phylogeny of Lacertidae is presented.
The basic anatomy of the lacertid hemipenis (intromittent organ) and methods for its investigation are described. In many members of the Lacertidae, the hemipenis has a structure quite unlike that of other squamate reptiles: the distal lobes of the retracted organ are complexly folded and there is a well-defined supporting structure of dense connective tissue, the armature. This incorporates blood sinuses and has an intramuscular portion embedded in the m. retractor penis magnus and two club-shaped bodies, the clavulae, that support the lobes in the erect organ. Unarmatured hemipenes occur in some lacertids and, like those of other squamates, possess sac-like lobes in the retracted state, but they are singular in having the lobes invested by the m. retractor penis magnus. It is argued that many of these apparently primitive hemipenes are in fact secondary derivatives of the armatured type.There is considerable inter-specific variation in hemipenial structure which is described systematically. In some cases this involves differences in size, asymmetry and simplification, which may arise as physical isolating mechanisms and is useful in distinguishing otherwise very similar species, particularly in the genus Mesalina (p. 1253). Other shared derived hemipenial features provide useful information about relationships between species and higher taxa and a summary of the hypotheses that they support is given (p. 1254).