Segoli, M. & Cohen, B.L. & Werner, Y.L. (2002) - A new species of Mesalina from Mt. Sinai, Egypt (Reptilia: Squamata: Sauria: Lacertidae). - Faunistiche Abhandlungen Staatliches Museum für Tierkunde Dresden, 23, 157-176.  Kapli, P. & Lymberakis, P. & Poulakakis, N. & Mantziou, G. & Parmakelis, A. & Mylonas, M. (2008) - Molecular phylogeny of three Mesalina (Reptilia: Lacertidae) species (M. guttulata, M. brevirostris and M. behaeldini) from North Africa and the Middle East: Another case of paraphyly? - Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 49: 102-110.  × Mesalina is a widespread lacertid genus occurring throughout the Saharo-Sindian region from North Africa to Pakistan. It has been through a series of taxonomic revisions, but the phylogenetic relationships among the species remain unclear. In this study we estimate the phylogeographic structure of M. guttulata across most of its distributional range and we evaluate the relationships between M. guttulata and the sympatric species M. brevirostris and M. bahaeldini using partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (cyt b and 16S). M. guttulata and M. brevirostris represent species complexes, whereas M. bahaeldini considered before as M. guttulata is a recently described species with very restricted distribution. Here we present the first evidence that M. guttulata is a paraphyletic taxon with respect to M. bahaeldini, while M. brevirostris proves to be a polytypic species or even a species complex, confirming previous studies. Although mtDNA markers have several properties that make them suitable for phylogeographic studies, they are not free of difficulties. Phylogeographic inferences within and between closely related species can be mislead by introgression and retention of ancestral polymorphism (incomplete lineage sorting). However, the present distribution pattern, the estimated times of divergence and the significant variation in morphology within M. guttulata led us to accept that the paraphyletic pattern observed, is most likely due to inaccurate taxonomy. Our hypothesis is that what has hitherto been considered as intraspecific variation, actually reflects species-level variation. Furthermore, our biogeographic analyses and the estimated time of divergences suggest that the present distribution of M. guttulata was the result of several dispersal and vicariant events, which are associated with historical changes (climatic oscillations and paleogeographic barriers) of late Miocene and Pliocene period. Sindaco, R. & Simó-Riudalbas, M. & Sacchi, R. & Carranza, S. (2018) - Systematics of the Mesalina guttulata species complex (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Arabia with the description of two new species. - Zootaxa, 4429 (3): 513-547. × Mesalina are small diurnal lacertid lizards inhabiting arid areas from North Africa to northwestern India. Previous phylo- genetic studies have shown the existence of several species complexes within the genus, some of them with high levels of undiscovered diversity. In the present study, we carry out an integrative systematic revision of the Mesalina guttulata spe- cies complex using both molecular and morphological data from across its entire distribution range in North Africa, the Middle East and Arabia. The results of the genetic analyses indicate that M. guttulata and M. bahaeldini are two allopatric sister taxa separated by the Suez Canal and that the species complex includes a further three unnamed deep phylogenetic lineages, two of them restricted to southern and southwestern Arabia and described herein as Mesalina austroarabica sp. nov. and Mesalina arnoldi sp. nov., respectively. As a result of the lack of enough material, the third deep lineage, distrib- uted across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, is provisionally left undescribed. The two newly described species are char- acterized by their size, scale counts and tail coloration, as well as differences at the three mitochondrial and one nuclear gene analyzed in the present study.
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