Mesalina olivieri

Mesalina olivieri, also known commonly as Olivier's sand lizard, is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is native to North Africa and the Middle East.

Etymology

The specific name, olivieri, is in honor of French entomologist Guillaume-Antoine Olivier.

Geographic distribution

Mesalina olivieri occurs in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of Mesalina olivieri are desert, grassland, and shrubland at altitudes of .

Behavior

Mesalina olivieri is terrestrial and diurnal.

Diet

Mesalina olivieri preys predominately upon ants, but also other small arthropods.

Reproduction

Mesalina olivieri is oviparous. Clutch size is two to four eggs, and each sexually mature female lays at least two clutches per year.

References

Further reading

• Audouin, "Victor [sic]" (1829). "Explication sommaire des Planches de Reptiles (supplément), Publiées par Jules-César Savigny, Membre de l'Institut; offrant un exposé des caractères naturels des genres avec la distinction des espèces ". pp. 97–140. In: [Commission des sciences et arts de l'Égypte ] (1829). Description de l'Égypte, ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypt pendant l'expédition de l'armée française. Second édition dédiée au Roi. Tome vingt-quatrieme [Volume 24] Histoire naturelle, Zoologie. Paris: C.L.F. Panckoucke. 579 pp. (Lacerta olivieri, new species, pp. 122–125). (in French).
• 435 pp. (Mesalina olivieri, p. 420).
• Sindaco, Roberto; Jeremčenko, Valery K. (2008). The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic: 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia. (Monographs of the Societas Herpetologica Italica). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. .
• Trape, Jean-François; Trape, Sébastien; Chirio, Laurent (2012). Lézards, crocodiles et tortues d'Afrique occidentale et du Sahara. Paris: IRD Orstom. 503 pp. . (in French).