Mesalina balfouri ( Blanford, 1881 )

Razzetti, Edoardo, Sindaco, Roberto, Grieco, Cristina, Pella, Francesca, Ziliani, Ugo, Pupin, Fabio, Riservato, Elisa, Pellitteri-Rosa, Daniele, Butikofer, Luca, Suleiman, Ahmed Saeed & Al-Aseily, Badar Awadh, 2011, Annotated checklist and distribution of the Socotran Archipelago Herpetofauna (Reptilia), Zootaxa 2826, pp. 1-44 : 13-14

Mesalina balfouri ( Blanford, 1881)

Eremias (Mesalina) balfouri Blanford 1881: 467 —Locus typicus: “ Socotra ”. Eremias Balfouri. — Peters, 1882b: 45.

Eremias (Mesalina) Balfouri. — Taschenberg, 1883: 167. Eremias guttulata .— Anderson, 1898: 175, 177 (Tab.), 178 (Tab.). Eremias guttulata .— Boulenger, 1903: 84.

Eremias guttulata balfouri .— Neumann, 1905: 397. Eremias olivieri balfouri .— Haas, 1951: 276.

Mesalina balfouri .— Arnold, 1986a: [1243] 1254, Fig. 11h. Mesalina balfouri .— Joger, 2000: 343.

Mesalina cf. balfouri .— Joger, 2000: 343.

This lacertid lizard is the third most common diurnal species observed in Socotra after Pristurus sokotranus and Trachylepis socotrana .

Habitat. In Socotra Island we recorded it from coastal plains and shores up to 1030 m at Skand. Rösler & Wranik (2004) observed it at 980 m (Diksam) and 940–1045 m (Firmihin). This species is particularly common in open sandy areas, gravel and rock substrates, but it can be observed also in areas with good vegetation cover. On Darsa it is frequent in flat areas with dwarf bushes, while on Samha we found it in a stony hill.

Original data. Fig. 22. Socotra Island: NE Coast, Homhil, Momi plateau, Timeroh area, Go'o area, Wadi Di- Fa'rhoh, E Noged, Wadi Di Asrhon, Firmihin, Dheroh, Diksam plateau, SW Diksam, Central Noged, Qa'arah area, Qabheten area, Meyhah area, Plateau W of Qabhete, Neet, Shu'ab inland, Shu'ab area, Ma'alah plateau, Qeysoh, Qalansiyah inland, Ghubbah area, Mori West, Terr Ditrur, Mouri plain, Wadi Trubah, Skand, Kadheb E, Hadiboh plain, Howlef, Di Lishah area, Kariyah area, Rokeb area. Darsa Island. Samha Island.

Bibliographic data. Boulenger (1903), Steindachner (1903), Wranik (1998b), Schätti & Desvoignes 1999, Rösler & Wranik (2004).

General distribution. Endemic to Socotra, Samha and Darsa Islands.