Mesalina guttulata ( Lichtenstein, 1823:101 )

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 : 219-221

Mesalina guttulata ( Lichtenstein, 1823:101) ( FIG . 24)

1823 L [acerta] guttulata 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 .

LECTOTYPE:— ZMB 1119, “Aegypten” designated by Segoli et al. (2002). The original published type locality was “Aegpt. et Nubia.” Paralectotypes are ZMB 1117–1118, 1120, 1121, 1122, 63004 (formerly included under ZMB 1122 ), and 63144 (formerly included under 1121), and BMNH 1946.8.7. 76–77. ZMB 1117–1120 associated with the locality “Aegypten,” ZMB 1121 and 63144 with “Nubien” and ZMB 1122 and 63004 with “ Suez ” (see Bauer and Günther 1995). The BMNH specimens are associated only with the locality “ N. Africa ” in the register in which their re-registration in 1946 was recorded. They are also the types of Scapteira punctulata Gray, 1838 .

Mesalina guttulata, Le Berre 1989:194 .

Mesalina guttulata, Schleich, Kästle, and Kabisch 1996:417 .

Mesalina guttulata, Sindaco and Jeremčenko 2008:262 .

Mesalina guttulata, Trape, Trape, and Chirio 2012:328 .

DISTRIBUTION.— Northern Western Sahara to Egypt, with additional localities in Niger and Eritrea and the Red Sea coast of Sudan (Abukashawa and Mahmoud 2015). According to Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) the species is also found in Sinai and in Asia from Israel and Jordan to western Iraq, east central Saudi Arabia and western Yemen and adjacent southern Red Sea Farasan Islands ( Saudi Arabia). However, molecular data ( Kapli et al. 2008, 2015) support the restriction of M. guttulata proper to North Africa west of Sinai (see Comments). In Libya records are widespread but scattered and lacking from Ghat and the southwest.

Libyan Records (Map 32): TRIPOLITANIA: ZAWIYAH: 11: BMNH 1965.1131. TRIPOLI: 45: ZMB 15306; Szczerbak 1975. MURQUB: 68: MCSN 2123; Boulenger 1914, 1921; Zavattari 1934. MISRATAH: 72: ZSM 174/1979/1–4. 73: ZSM 174/1979. 74: BMNH 1955.1.8. 53. 80: BMNH

1913.12.30. 12; MSNG 52506 ; Boulenger

1914; Zavattari 1934; Szczerbak 1975. NALUT:

116: Sindaco, pers. obs. 4/2/2008. JABAL AL

GHARBI: 141: BMNH 1975.1210. 142: BMNH

1965.1224–25. 143: NHMC 80.3.72.28–30;

Kapli et al. 2015. 145: NHMC 80.3.72.31;

Kapli et al. 2015. 146: NHMC 80.3.72.25–27,

80.3.72.35; Kapli et al. 2015. 149: BMNH

1955.1.8. 52. 154: BMNH 1965 .1226, 29–34.

SIRTE: 199: MCSN 2120–21. “ Tripolitania settentrionale ”: Zavattari 1937. “ Sirtica ”:

Zavattari 1937. “ Wadi Badran ”: BMNH 1965:

1227. FEZZAN: WADI AL SHATII: 201: NHMC

80.3.72.57; Beito et al. 2008; Kapli et al. 2015.

JUFRA: 213: BMNH 1954.1.6. 79. 216: Peters

1880, 1881; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1934. 217: Zavattari 1937. MURZUQ: 326:

BMNH 1965.1228. CYRENAICA: BENGHAZI: MAP 32. Distribution of Mesalina guttulata in Libya. 342: Zavattari 1929, 1930. 357: MZUF 756; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Calabresi 1923; Umani 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 367: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. MARJ: 385: Zavattari 1937. JABAL AL AKHDAR: 415: FMNH 214946–49; Resetar 1981. 417: Zavattari 1922, 1929, 1930, 1934. 428: ZSM 129/1983; Schleich 1987. 457: KNP 1981/169–170, 270, 279–280, 295, 300, 309–310, 315, 320, 322, 325, 331–332, 334, 342, 350–352, 395, 402–403, 468–474; Schleich 1987. 457i: Schleich 1987. 457k: Schleich 1987. 457l: Schleich 1987. 457m: Schleich 1987. DARNAH: 466: MSNG 31576*; NHMW 12060; Werner 1909; Ghigi 1913; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 474: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 484: Calabresi 1923; Zavattari 1934. BUTNAN: 505: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934. 518: NHMC 80.3.72.8; Kapli et al. 2008, 2015. 520: MCSN 2470. 521: Vinciguerra 1927; Zavattari 1929, 1930, 1934, 1937. 524:

MSNG 28438. AL WAHAT: 529: MCSN 2122; MSNG 31576*; Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934. 544: MSNG 31576*. 554: NMBA-REPT 15241–42. KUFRAH: 572: Vinciguerra 1931. 573: Vinciguerra 1931; Zavattari 1934, 1937. 575: MSNG 31576*; Vinciguerra 1931. 584: Zavattari 1937. 587: Scortecci 1935c. “ Cyrenaica ”: MSNG 52498. Ghigi 1920. “ Altopiano di Cyrenaica ”: Ghigi 1920; Zavattari 1934. “ Marmarica ”: Zavattari 1937.

COMMENTS.— Joger and Mayer (2002) emphasized the uncertainty regarding the relative relationships between many Mesalina species. Kapli et al. (2008) initially suggested that M. guttulata was a complex of several species. Kapli et al. (2008, 2015) found that M. guttulata was paraphyletic with respect to M. bahaeldini , with the more inclusive clade containing the latter (type locality in south Sinai), including Jordanian material. They recovered three main clades, a M. bahaeldini clade (suggesting that M. guttulata in Israel and Jordan should be reallocated to this species), a typical M. guttulata clade with samples from Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, and an Arabian clade, with samples from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Kuwait. This implies that true guttulata occurs exclusively in North Africa, west of the Suez Canal. Nonetheless, there are some morphological and especially color pattern differences between typical M. bahaeldini from south Sinai and M. guttulata from Israel and Jordan ( Segoli et al. 2002; Werner and Ashkenazi 2010; Werner 2016) and the possibility remains that true M. guttulata may co-occur with M. bahaeldini in north Sinai and in Israel, which were not sampled by Kapli et al. (2015), or that members of the M. bahaeldini clade from outside south Sinai retain the plesiomorphic M. guttulata morphotype and should be considered as a species distinct from either M. guttulata sensu stricto or M. bahaeldini . Sindaco and Jeremčenko (2008) plotted no localities in Fezzan or the Kufrah region of southern Cyrenaica. The identities of the specimens vouchering these localities need to be confirmed, although the occurrence of M. guttulata nearby in neighboring countries suggests that it should occur in suitable areas in southern Libya.

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

Figures

FIGURE 24. Mesalina guttulata from 15 km north of Dirj, Nalut, Tripolitania, Libya, 2008. Photo © Roberto Sindaco.