Mesalina olivieri, , Schleich, Kastle, and Kabisch, 1996

Bauer, Aaron M., DeBoer, Jonathan C. & Taylor, Dylan J., 2017, Atlas of the Reptiles of Libya, Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 64 (8), pp. 155-318 : 221-226

Mesalina olivieri ( Audouin, 1827:175, supplement pl. 1, fig. 11, pl. 2, figs. 1–2)

1827 Lacerta Olivieri Audouin, 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. 161–184 In: M. J.-C. L. de Savigny, (ed.), Description de l’Égypte, ou Recueil des Observations et des Recherches qui ont été Faites en Égypte Pendant l’Expédition de l’Armée Française. Histoire Naturelle. Tome premier. Partie premier. Imprimerie Impériale, Paris.

SYNTYPES.— Specimens figured by Audouin (1827) on pl. 1, fig. 11 and pl. 2, figs. 1–2 of Description de l’Égypte, “ Egypte.” According to Brygoo (1988) no surviving specimens can be associated with these illustrations, so the types must be considered lost.

Mesalina olivieri, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:420 .

Mesalina olivieri, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:263 .

Mesalina olivieri, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:330 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Western Sahara across Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia to far northwestern Tripolitania and from Cyrenaica across northern Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Jordan and southern Syria (southern Iraq according to Yousefkhani et al. 2015). Isolated localities in Senegal, southern Algeria, the Upper Nile Valley of Egypt and northcentral Saudi Arabia. (Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008). There remains a large gap in the species distribution across northern Libya between the region of Al Khums and the eastern side of the Gulf of Sirte. Le Berre (1989) did not include the species in the Libyan fauna.

Libyan Records (Map 33): TRIPOLITANIA: NUQAT AL KHAMS: 2: BMNH 1955.1.8. 51. 3:

NHMC 80.3.164.19; Kapli et al. 2015. 5:

BMNH 1955.1.8. 50, 1965.1235–37. ZAWIYAH :

11: BMNH 1965.1239. TRIPOLI: 36: BMNH

1954.1.6. 87–89. NALUT: 101: MCSN 2125 .

107: Sindaco pers. comm. 4/30/2008. 110:

BMNH 1954.1.6. 80. JABAL AL GHARBI: 131 :

BMNH 1965.1240. 146: NHMC 80.3.119.21–

22; Kapli et al. 2015. 154: BMNH 1965.1238.

“ Hamata desert ”: BMNH 1987.2199. CYRE-

NAICA: BENGHAZI: 357: BMNH 1945.11.9. 10;

MZUT R [no specific number given]. 367:

BMNH 1985.1186. MZUT R2252. MARJ: 403:

NHMC 80.3.119.1–5, 80.3.119.8–7; Kapli et al. 2008, 2015. DARNAH: 466: BMNH

1954.1.6. 81–86; Arnold 1986. BUTNAN : 522:

NHMC 80.3.119.8. AL WAHAT: 544: BMNH

1965.1241. 552: BMNH 1965.1142. “ Boltet el

Ramla ”: BMNH 1965.1243. LIBYA: BMNH MAP 33. Distribution of Mesalina olivieri in Libya. 1969.11. “ Beiana ” [unlocated]: MCSN 2127. “ dunes south of Ettoni ” [unlocated]: MZUT R3269. COMMENTS.— The complicated dating of the natural history portions of Description de l’Égypte has been elucidated by Sherborn (1897) and Tollitt (1986). Audouin (1827) also recognized a “variété” which differed in color pattern and was figured on pl. 2, fig. 2, but Boulenger (1921) considered this plate to depict true M. olivieri , whereas he referred the animal on plate 1, figure 11 to Acanthodactylus scutellatus audouini and that on plate 2, figure 1 to M. guttulata . Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) recognized four subspecies: M. o. latasti, M. o. olivieri , M. o. schmidti (Haas, 1951), and M. o. susana, although most authors recognize only M. o. schmidti and the nominate form. The subspecies present in Libya is traditionally regarded as M. o. olivieri . Schleich et al. (1996) recognized six subspecies, with the typical form in Libya. Werner (2016) considered M. o. schmidti to be distributed east of the Nile Valley to Arabia and Iraq. Kapli et al. (2015) found that M. pasteuri (widespread in North Africa, although with no confirmed records from Libya) and M. simoni (Morocco north of the High Atlas Mountains ) were embedded within the M. olivieri complex. Their Libyan material was polyphyletic and was placed in several clades, one with Egyptian material, one with Egyptian and Israeli material, and one with Tunisian material. These results suggest that the traditional division between M. o. olivieri and M. o. schmidti does not reflect evolutionary relationships. Existing sampling does not suggest a single satisfactory taxonomic solution to this problem, although the data minimally suggest that the nominate form may extend from Tripolitania to at least Sinai and Israel. Arnold (1986) suggested that Cyrenaican specimens might deserve species recognition because of hemipeneal differences from typical forms, but this prospect has not been further explored.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed, but assumed to be Least Concern.

Mesalina rubropunctata ( Lichtenstein, 1823:100) (FIG. 25)

1823 L [acerta]. rubropunctata Lichtenstein, Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museums der Königl. Universität zu Berlin nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Säugethieren, Vögeln, Amphibien und Fischen. T. Trautwein, Berlin. x + 118 pp., pl. 1.

SYNTYPES.— ZMB 1113 (2 specimens) (“ Nubien ”), 114 (3 specimens), 1127 (“ Suez ”), 1115, 1116, 81374 (formerly under ZMB 1116 ) (“ Aegypten ”). Published type locality “ Aegypt et Nubia.”

Mesalina rubropunctata, Le Berre 1989:200 .

Mesalina rubropunctata, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:425 .

Mesalina rubropunctata, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:263 .

Mesalina rubropunctata, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:334 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Mauritania and Western

Sahara across northern Africa to western Sinai and the Nile Valley of northernmost Sudan.

Southern Algerian distribution more-or-less contiguous with localities in eastern Mali and northwestern Niger. In Libya there are localities across the country.

Libyan Records (Map 34): TRIPOLITA-

NIA: MISRATAH: 73: BMNH 1955.1.8. 54.

NALUT: 105: AIC no number provided; Ibrahim FIGURE 25. Mesalina rubropunctata from Fezzan, Libya. and Ineich 2005 . SIRTE: 174: ZMB 18327, Photo © Adel Ibrahim.

77682. 196: BMNH 1954.1.6. 78. “ Tripolitania ” : BMNH 1965 . 1244. “ Sirtica ”: Zavattari

1937. FEZZAN: WADI AL SHATII: 207: BMNH

1901.10.28. 7. 208: Boulenger 1921; Szczerbak

1975. 210: BMNH 1954.1.6. 75. 211: Scortecci

1937a. JUFRA: 212: ZSM 189/1979/1–2. 216:

Peters 1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913;

Zavattari 1930, 1934. 217: Zavattari 1937. 224:

NMBA-REPT 15432–33; Schnurrenberger

1962. 226: MCSN 2129; Scortecci 1935b.

GHAT: 234: MCSN 2128. 236: ZMB 37948.

249: BMNH 1965.1246. SABHA: 282: ZSM

118/1975. 291: NMBA-REPT 15324–53; ZMB

37947. MURZUQ: 298: Essghaier et al. 2015.

303: Essghaier et al. 2015. 315: NHMC

80.3.99.18 [= ZFMK 63675]; NHMC

80.3.99.19–20; NHMC 80.3.99.28 [= ZFMK

77484]; Kapli et al. 2015. 316: ZCT 2005.29; MAP 34. Distribution of Messalina rubropunctata in Libya.

Ibrahim 2008a. 317: Schnurrenberger 1963.

319: Kramer and Schnurrenberger 1963. 332: ZMB 37949. 333: FMNH 214967; NHMW 31121. “ Fezzan ”: BMNH 1954.1.6. 76. “ Jebel Fezzan ”: BMNH 1965:1245. CYRENAICA: BENGHAZI: 357: BMNH 1988.190. DARNAH: 466: SMNS 803. BUTNAN: 521: Zavattari 1937. 524: MSNG 28416; Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934; Gestro and Vinciguerra 1931. AL WAHAT: 529: NMP 34934/1–2; NMP 34934; Moravec 1995; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 555: ZSM 133/1983. 562: MSNG 31575*; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934. 564: Vinciguerra 1931, Zavattari 1934, 1937. 565: Vinciguerra 1931. KUFRAH: 567: MSNG 31575*; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934, 1937. 579: BMNH 1982.385–87. 584: Zavattari 1937. “between Agedabia and Gialo”: BMNH 1932.3.6. 11; Werner 1909; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934. “Desert South of Giada”: MSNG 31575*.

COMMENTS.— Hypothesized relationships among Mesalina rubropunctata , M. guttulata and M. bahaeldini are poorly supported (Šmíd and Frynta 2012). There is also an extremely high level of morphological similarity between some congeners (Werner and Ashkenaze 2010), which reveals a need for additional sampling to produce high resolution phylogenies to resolve the conflicts that are rampant in this complex. Kapli et al. (2015) found M. rubropunctata to be monophyletic and found moderate divergence between Egyptian samples and those from Libya and the Mahgreb.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Not assessed, but assumed to be Least Concern.

Ophisops occidentalis Boulenger, 1887:75 , pl. III, fig. 2 ( FIG . 26)

1887 Ophisops occidentalis Boulenger , Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History) III. Lacertidae , Gerrhosauridae , Scincidae , Anelytropsidae , Dibamidae , Chamaeleontidae . Trustees of the British Museum, London, United Kingdom. xii + 575 pp., pls. I–XL.

SYNTYPES.— ZBMNH 1946.9.4. 18 (formerly BMNH 85 .4.13.1) “ Porte de Fer, Algiers” [ Algeria], BMNH 1946.9.4. 19 (formerly BMNH 85 .4.13.2) “Youkous, Algeria,” BMNH (not located) “ Hadedj des Matmata , Tunis” [ Tunisia] and BMNH 1946.9.4. 16–17 ( BMNH 46 .11.4.12) “ Susa, Tunis” [ Tunisia] .

Ophisops elegans [part], Le Berre 1989:206.

Ophisops elegans, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:430

Ophisops occidentalis, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:433

Ophisops occidentalis, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:266 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Northeastern Morocco across Mediterranean North Africa to Egypt west of the Nile Delta (Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008). In Egypt O. occidentali s does not extend inland more than 10 km from the sea ( Baha El Din 2006a). In Libya they are found coastally and near coastally in both Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, with a gap in the region of the Gulf of Sirte. Scattered records in Murzuq, though anomalous, seem legitimate.

Libyan Records (Map 35): TRIPOLITANIA: TRIPOLI: 45: MCSN 2406; Boulenger 1891. MURQUB: 60: Peters 1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934. 65: NHMC 80.3.101.13–14. 66: Sindaco obs. 4/29/2008. 69: BMNH 1955.1.8. 49. MISRATAH: 77: Zavattari 1930. 80: Boulenger 1914; Zavatari 1934. NALUT: 101: BMNH 1965.1216; MCSN 2404. JABAL AL GHARBI: 141: BMNH 1975.1211. 142: BMNH 1965.1217–20. 147: MCZ R 38698. 153: BMNH 1954.1.6. 66–67. 154: MZUT R2219; ZMB 38546; Werner 1909; Zavatarri 1934. 155: Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937. FEZZAN: MURZUQ: 309: BMNH 1965.122. 310: BMNH 1965.1221. 326: BMNH 1965.1223. CYRENAICA: BENGHAZI: 335: NHMC 80.3.70.410. 349: NHMC 80.3.101.15. 351: BMNH 1965.1212–13. 357: MZUF 762, 764, 18012–14, 18000–11, 18018; Ghigi 1920; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 358: MZUT R2221; Calabresi 1923. 367: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930. 374: BMNH

1965.1215. MARJ: 383: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 385: BMNH 1965.1214;

MZUF 18017; MZUT R2226; Calabresi 1923;

Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937. 388: NHMC

80.3.70.395–396. 389: CUP R 039; MZUT

R2212; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930;

Frynta et al. 2000. 400: CUP R 040; Frynta et al. 2000. 402: MZUF 761; MZUT R2217; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 403:

NHMC 80.3.70.7–13, 80.3.101.2. 457ad:

Schleich 1987. 457b: Schleich 1987. 457s:

Schleich 1987. 457y: Schleich 1987. 457z:

Schleich 1987. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 398: NHMC

80.3.70.18; NHMC 80.3.101.1. 417: Zavattari

1922, 1929, 1930, 1934; Calabresi 1923. 418:

NHMC 80.3.70.3–4. 419: CUP R 044, 045;

Restar 1981; Frynta et al. 2000. 423: FMNH

214938; Resetar 1981. 430: BMNH MAP 35. Distribution of Ophisops occidentalis in Libya. 1954.1.6. 74; MZUT R2224; Calabresi 1923;

Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 434: FMNH 214933–34, 214939–40; Resetar 1981. 438: NHMC 80.3.70.5. 440: FMNH 214935; Resetar 1981. 443: FMNH 214937; Resetar 1981. 446: FMNH 214936; Resetar 1981. 449: NHMC 80.3.70.20–22. 451: BMNH 1954.1.6. 62–65. 452: Ghigi 1920; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 457: KNP 1981/145–147, 157–167, 176, 178–183, 185–191, 193, 197–199, 201–203, 206, 217–222, 229–231, 234–235, 238, 243, 254, 256, 274–275, 287, 294, 296–297, 302–303, 319, 323, 326, 356, 413, 415, 421–423, 439–441, 445–448, 455, 467, 484–485, 487; ZSM 128/1983; Resetar 1981; Schleich 1987. 457ar: Schleich 1987. 457as: Schleich 1987. 457at: Schleich 1987. 457au: Schleich 1987. 457ax: Schleich 1987. 457az: Schleich 1987. 457ba: Schleich 1987. 457bc: Schleich 1987. 457bf: Schleich 1987. 457bh: Schleich 1987. 457bi: Schleich 1987. 457bj: Schleich 1987. 457bu: Schleich 1987. 457bw: Schleich 1987. 457bz: Schleich 1987. 457c: Schleich 1987. 457ce: Schleich 1987. 457cf: Schleich 1987. 457cj: Schleich 1987. 457ck: Schleich 1987. 457cl: Schleich 1987. 457cq: Schleich 1987. 457cs: Schleich 1987. 457cu: Schleich 1987. 457cv: Schleich 1987. 457i: Schleich 1987. 457m: Schleich 1987. 457n: Schleich 1987. 457o: Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 459: BMNH 1954.1.6. 69. 460: NHMC 80.3.70.16– 17. 461: NHMC 80.3.70.14–15. 462: Zavattari 1929, 1930. 463: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1930, 1934. 464: MZUF 18015; Calabresi 1923. 465: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 466: BMNH 1954.1.6. 71; MZUF 18016; MZUT R2216, R2229; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1920; Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 467: Zavattari 1929, 1930. 475: SMNS 1023. BUTNAN: 504: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 505: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. “ Cyrenaica ”: Colosi 1923. “ Marmarica ”: Zavattari 1937.

COMMENTS.— Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) and Kyrazi et al. (2008) noted the morphological similarities between O. occidentalis and O. elegans , and commented on their parapatry. Both species have been recorded from Libya, although we interpret all Ophisops records in the country as referable to the former species. Werner (2016) regarded O. elegans as reaching its western distributional limit in southern Israel, with a single record from adjacent Sinai ( Baha El Din 1992) . Werner (1909) considered Peters’ (1880, 1881) records of O. elegans from Bir Milhra to be referable to O. occidentalis . However, Werner himself identified seven specimens from Darnah as O. elegans . Schleich et al. (1996) reported O. elegans from Cyrenaica and O. occidentalis from Tripolitania and from Ghemines (Qaminis, western Cyrenaica), based on Calabresi (1923). Several BMNH specimens purportedly from Fezzan (BMNH 1965.1221–23) have been examined and both their identities and localities appear correctly recorded. We accept these records provisionally, pending further investigation.

IUCN THREAT STATUS.— Least Concern.

Figures

FIGURE 26. Ophisops occidentalis from Al Khums, 5 km west of Villa Selin, Murqub, Tripolitania, Libya. Photo © Roberto Sindaco.