| Eremias (Mesalina) watsonana STOLICZKA, 1872 Mesalina pardaloides BLANFORD, 1874 Mesalina pardalis BLANFORD, 1876 Mesalina watsonana MURRAY, 1884 Eremias guttulata watsonana SMITH, 1935 |
| Syntypes: BMNH 74.4.29.1436/1946.8.7.75, ZSI 4929, 5050, 5223-5225, NMW, ZSI 5224–25, 4929, 5050, 5223 |
Stoliczka, F. (1872) - Notes on reptiles collected by surgeon F. Day in Sind. - Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1872: 85-92.   Šmíd, J. (2009) - Molekulární a morfologická variabilita Mesalina watsonana a Ophisops elegans (Squamata: Lacertidae) na Středním východě [Molecular and morphological variability of Mesalina watsonana and Ophisops elegans (Squamata: Lacertidae) in the Middle East]. - Univerzita Karlova v Praze Přírodovědecká Fakulta Katedra zoologie. 101 pp. Šmíd, J. & Frynta, D. (2012) - Molecular variability of Mesalina watsonana (Reptilia: Lacertidae) on the Iranian plateau and its phylogenetic and biogeographic affinities inffered from mtDNA sequences. - Acta Herpetologica, 7 (1): 139-153.  × The lacertid lizard Mesalina watsonana is widely distributed on the Iranian plateau where it is one of the most common lizards. However, the intraspecific variability and the phylogenetic position of this species within the genus still remain unknown. We sequenced a 715bp long fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome b gene from lizards sampled in 10 localities covering the Iranian distribution range of the species. We identified four distinct and geographically isolated clades with an average genetic divergence between them ranging from 9.8 to 13.1% (p-distance) which is comparable to the values of genetic distance commonly reported between Lacertidae species. Analyses combining data from recently published phylogeny of the genus Mesalina with our dataset confirmed the monophyly of M. watsonana. The isolation of this species from the rest of the genus points out the important role of the Zagros Mountains uplift during the Miocene. It is possible that this geological event participated on the isolation of the ancestor of M. watsonana from the rest of the Mesalina lizards and together with the upheaval of the whole Iranian plateau provided suitable environmental conditions for rapid diversification of this species. Hosseinian Yousefkhani, S.S. & Rastegar-Pouyani, N. & Rastegar-Pouyani, E. (2013) - Morphological variation among populations of Mesalina watsonana (Stoliczka, 1872) (Sauria: Lacertidae) in Iran. - Turkish Journal of Zoology, Ankara, Turkey, 37 (6): 676-684. × During extensive fieldwork surveys from August 2009 to September 2011, 60 specimens of Mesalina watsonana were collected from 10 localities representing 3 population groups in Iran. Owing to clear sexual dimorphism, a total of 39 males were selected and examined for various meristic and morphological characters. Statistical analyses (multivariate analyses such as principal component analysis, canonical variate analysis, and cluster analysis) were used to compare morphological variations among specimens from these 3 population groups in Iran. These groups were separated geographically, apparently due to barriers such as Dasht-e-Kavir and Dasht-e-Lut. According to the multivariate analyses, Mesalina watsonana can be divided into 2 major morphological groups in Iran. The Zagrosgroup is related to 2 others; the southern and eastern groups clearly separate and show a break between themselves. Boroumand, H. & Bafti, S.S. & Saberi-Pirooz, R. & Böhme, W. & Ahmadzadeh, F. (2024) - Description of six new species from Mesalina watsonana complex in the Iranian plateau and neighboring regions. - Zootaxa 5501 (1): 108–130 × Mesalina watsonana is a species complex with a wide distribution range in Iran, some parts of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwest India. Recent molecular and morphological investigations detected remarkable hidden diversity among the geographical populations of the complex, more likely referring to the persistence of undescribed species. In this study, we conducted a very detailed sampling of localities and carried out a morphological study to investigate populations within the complex. Investigation of morphological features within the M. watsonana species complex indicated that it consists of seven distinct populations. They include the West-Southeast-South, East-Northeast, East Dasht-e Kavir, West Dasht-e Kavir, and two central groups (Halil and Kerman groups). Considering our findings, each of the seven populations corresponding to distinct geographic regions should be recognized as species. The six new species include Mesalina khuzestanensis sp. nov., Mesalina halilica sp. nov., Mesalina kermanensis sp. nov., Mesalina ardestanica sp. nov., Mesalina bardaskanensis sp. nov., Mesalina esfarayensis sp. nov. which are distinctive from each other due to their unique morphological characteristics.
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