Diurnal and ground dwelling.Capable of surviving under extreme desert conditions. Rather secretive and elusive.
Least Concern
A rather small slender lizard, with a maximum SVL of 56 mm. Snout fairly long, usually with 4 supralabials anterior to the subocular. Lower eyelid with a window made of two large transparent scales of roughly equal size, each clearly edged with black pigment. Temporals small, smooth; tympanic shield obvious. Dorsal scales medium-sized, granular or subimbricate. Average number of dorsals at mid-body 43 (range 39-45) and ventrals 10, respectively; average number of femoral pores 12 (10-15) (based on a sample of 46 Egyptian specimens). Ventral side of lower arm covered with small granules. Dorsal side of tibia covered with rather weakly keeled scales. Dorsal surfaces usually light brown-gray, with scattered dark and light spots, which often form a weak striated pattern. Tail irregularly banded, blue in young animals. Venter white. Hemipenis very small, with two lobes.
Widespread; found in almost all parts of the country, except the cultivated areas of the Nile Valley. West of the Nile recorded from the Mediterranean coast and from almost all the Western Desert oases. Scortecci (1935) reports one specimen from Uadi Abd-el-Malech (= Wadi Abd El Malek) in Gilf El Kebir in 1933, and the author collected a single specimen from the same Wadi in February 1997. Capocaccia (1977) reports one example collected in 1968 from Karkur Ibrahim, Gebel Uweinat (Libya) less than 10 km from the Egyptian borders. The species is particularly widespread in the Eastern Desert and has been recorded from Gebel Elba in the south, to the Isthmic Desert in the north. In Sinai it is only absent from the dune fields of the north and appears to be largely replaced by M. bahaeldini in areas above 1,000 m. Recorded from many islands of the Hurghada Archipelago: Ashrafi, Abu Mingar, Giftun El Kabir, Gubal El Saghir, South Geisum, Magawish El Kabir, Shadwan, Tawila, Um El Haimat El Saghir.
The Saharo-Sindian region, from Morocco to Iran, south to the Sahel.
Lives in rocky habitats: on mountains and hillsides, gravel plains with scattered stones, and in small rocky wadis.
Common and widespread. Inhabits areas which are less likely to be severely affected by human activity, thus populations should be stable.
The small-spotted lizard (Mesalina guttulata) is a species of lizard. It is found in the following countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran (Kavir desert), India, S. Turkmenistan, N. Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Syria. Type locality: Egypt
The small-spotted lizard (Mesalina guttulata) is a species of lizard. It is found in the following countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sinai, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran (Kavir desert), India, S. Turkmenistan, N. Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Senegal, Niger, Sudan, Syria. Type locality: Egypt
