BAUER, DEBOER, & TAYLOR: ATLAS OF THE REPTILES OF LIBYA 
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Comments. — Acanthodactylus species have proved particularly difficult for many authors to 
identify (Vinceguerra 1927, 1931; Zavattari 1930; Scortecci 1946) and the identity of A. scutella¬ 
tus and its relatives has been considered in detail by Scortecci (1946) and Bons and Girot (1964). 
The latter authors plotted localities across Libya for A. s. audouini, which they considered as clear¬ 
ly distinct form the nonminotypical form occurring in Egypt and Sudan. Arnold (1983) considered 
the names audouini, inornatus and dumerilii as conspecific with scutellatus and declined to try to 
identify subspecific divisions among them, whereas Salvador (1982) separated dumerilii (see 
account above) as a different species. Three subspecies have typically been recognized: A. s. scutel¬ 
latus (Egypt, Sinai, and southern Israel), A. s. audouini Boulenger, 1918 (Saharan), and A. s. hardyi 
Haas, 1957 (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) (Schleich et al. 1996; Sindaco and Jeremcenko 2008). 
Crochet et al. (2003) recently revised the A. scutellatus group and recognized six constituent taxa. 
Tamar et al. (2016b) found deep divergences between the reciprocally monophyletic A. s. scutella¬ 
tus and A. s. audouini, with robust substructure in the latter. Libyan samples fall out in two clades, 
one allied to Tunisian populations and the other Egyptian + Mauritanian samples. The degree of 
divergence from the nominate form raises the question if specific status is warranted for A. s. 
audouini. Brygoo (1988) claimed that Boulenger had designated a specimen figured by Audouin in 
the Description de l ’Egypte as the type of this taxon, although this does not appear to be the case, 
although this specimen may be considered as part of the original syntype series, which also 
includes various specimens in the BMNH collection. 
IUCN Threat Status.— Not assessed, but assumed to be Least Concern. 
Mesalina guttulata (Lichtenstein, 1823:101) (Fig. 24) 
1823 L[acerta\ guttulata Lichtenstein, Verzeichniss der Doubletten des zoologischen Museums der 
Konigl. Universitat zu Berlin nebst Beschreibung vieler bisher unbekannter Arten von Saugethieren, Vogeln, 
Amphibien und Fischen. T. Trautwein, Berlin, x + 118 pp., pi. 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 Gunther 1995). The BMNH specimens are associated only with the local¬ 
ity “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, Kastle, and Kabisch 1996:417. 
Mesalina guttulata, Sindaco and Jeremcenko 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 Jeremcenko (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 wide¬ 
spread 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. Muroub : 68: MCSN 2123; Boulenger 1914, 1921; Zavattari 1934. 
Misratah: 72: ZSM 174/1979/1^1. 73: ZSM 174/1979. 74: BMNH 1955.1.8.53. 80: BMNH 
