Art:

Mesalina saudiarabica  MORAVEC et al., 2017

Synonyme:

Mesalina sp.  KAPLI et al., 2015

Mesalina brevirostris  KAPLI et al., 2015

Typen:

Holotype: ZFMK 91912, subadult male, collected in October 2006 by T. Wilms. MorphoBank pictures: M407306–M407312. Paratype. ZFMK 86583, subadult male, Mahazat as-Sayd, near Al Muwayh, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, 22.395N 41.753E, 960 m a.s.l., collected in October 2006 by T. Wilms. MorphoBank picture: M410851.

Terra Typica:

Mahazat as-Sayd, Makkah Province, Saudi Arabia, 22.237N, 41.843E, 1.000 m NN.

Taxonomische Hinweise:

Mesalina saudiarabica unterscheidet sich in erster Linie durch ihre genetische Differenzierung, sowohl auf der mtDNA- als auch auf der nDNA-Ebene, von anderen Spezies des Komplexes. Zudem ist Mesalina saudiarabica geographisch vom Rest des Komplexes isoliert. Darüber hinaus kann sie morphologisch von M. microlepis durch 1-2 große, semitransparente Schuppen im unteren Augenlid unterschieden werden (bei M. microlepis sind es mehr als 3 annähernd gleich große, semitransparente Schuppen), sowie durch einer niedrigeren Anzahl von Halsbandschuppen (6–8 vs. 10–13; t-Test t = 5.01, p < 0.001), einer niedrigeren Anzahl der dorsalen Schuppen (41-42 vs. 48- 61; t-Test t = 3,78, p <0,005), einer niedrigeren Anzahl von Präanalschuppen (2-3 vs. 4; t-Test t = 8,14, p <0,001) und durch einer niedrigeren Anzahl von Femoralporen bei männlichen Tieren (12-13 vs. 15-20; t-Test t = 5,12, p <0,001). Die niedrigere Anzahl von Halsbandschuppen unterscheidet die neue Spezies auch von M. bernoullii (6-8 vs. 8-13; t-Test t = 3,14, p <0,005) und M. brevirostris s. s, wenn auch nicht signifikant nach der Bonferroni-Korrektur (6-8 vs. 8-10; t-Test t = -2,67, p <0,05).

Quelle: ŠMÍD et al., 2017

Durch DNA-Barcoding wurde ein weiteres Vorkommen im King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve im Ad-Dahna-Sandabschnitt bestätigt. Das Vorkommen dieser Art war unerwartet, da ihr bisheriges Verbreitungsgebiet auf die westlichen Wüsten Saudi-Arabiens beschränkt war (Šmíd et al. 2017). Diese Nachweise bedeuten nicht nur eine erhebliche Ausdehnung des bisher bekannten Verbreitungsgebiets um mehr als 600 km nach Nordosten, sondern weisen auch auf die Notwendigkeit detaillierterer taxonomischer Untersuchungen und herpetofaunistischer Erhebungen in dieser noch wenig untersuchten Region sowie in anderen Teilen Zentral-Saudi-Arabiens hin, die noch weitgehend unerforscht sind.

Quelle: HUYSSTEEN et al., 2024

Relevante taxonomische Literatur:

• Šmíd, J. & Moravec, J. & Gvoždík, V. & Štundl, J. & Frynta, D. & Lymberakis, P. & Kapli, P. & Wilms, T. & Schmitz, A. & Shobrak, M. & Hosseinian Yousefkhani, S. & Rastegar-Pouyani, E. & Castilla, A.M. & Els, J. & Mayer, W. (2017) -  Cutting the Gordian Knot: Phylogenetic and ecological diversification of the Mesalina brevirostris species complex (Squamata, Lacertidae). -  Zoologica Scripta, 46 (6): 649-664.    

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  Mesalina are small lacertid lizards occurring in the Saharo-Sindian deserts from North Africa to the east of the Iranian plateau. Earlier phylogenetic studies indicated that there are several species complexes within the genus and that thorough taxonomic revisions are needed. In this study, we aim at resolving the phylogeny and taxonomy of the M. brevirostris species complex distributed from the Middle East to the Arabian/Persian Gulf region and Pakistan. We sequenced three mitochondrial and three nuclear gene fragments, and in combination with species delimitation and species-tree estimation, we infer a time-calibrated phylogeny of the complex. The results of the genetic analyses support the presence of four clearly delimited species in the complex that diverged approximately between the middle Pliocene and the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. Species distribution models of the four species show that the areas of suitable habitat are geographically well delineated and nearly allopatric, and that most of the species have rather divergent environmental niches. Morphological characters also confirm the differences between the species, although sometimes minute. As a result of all these lines of evidence, we revise the taxonomy of the Mesalina brevirostris species complex. We designate a lectotype for Mesalina brevirostris Blanford, 1874; resurrect the available name Eremias bernoullii Schenkel, 1901 from the synonymy of M. brevirostris; elevate M. brevirostris microlepis (Angel, 1936) to species status; and describe Mesalina saudiarabica, a new species from Saudi Arabia.

• Huyssteen, R. van & Petford, M.A. & Burger, M. & Šmíd, J. & Alzahrani, A.S. & Alowaifeer, A.M. & Mottram, P. & Gaugris, J.Y. (2024) -  Reptiles of the King Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve, eastcentral Saudi Arabia: insights and conservation implications. -  Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 18(1&2): 91–106 (e335).    

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  The distribution of herpetofauna on the Arabian Peninsula is generally poorly known, particularly in Saudi Arabia. The King Abdulaziz Royal Nature Reserve (KARNR) in east-central Saudi Arabia is in an area predicted to have high reptile species richness, yet there is no baseline reptile checklist for the reserve. Knowing which species occur within a protected area is vital for ensuring that conservation strategies and long-term monitoring are effective. Here, we provide the first detailed list of reptile fauna occurring in the KARNR. This study recorded a total of 31 species from 1,551 observations, including 25 lizards and six snakes. A desktop study identified three additional species, bringing the total number of herpetofaunal species known in the KARNR to 34. Two of the species found in the reserve are of conservation concern: Uromastyx aegyptia (VU) and Tropiocolotes wolfgangboehmei (DD). Through species accumulation curves we were able to determine that the sampling methods implemented during the survey were adequate, and we predicted that the species richness of the reserve is likely as much as 38 species. Prior to this study, only 82 reptile records (30 species) were known from the study area, so we add a significant number of new records to the reserve and an additional four species that were previously unknown from the region.