Mesalina watsonana ( Stoliczka, 1872 )

Ray, Sumidh & Mohapatra, Pratyush P., 2025, Lectotype designation for Mesalina watsonana (Stoliczka, 1872) (Reptilia: Sauria: Lacertidae), Zootaxa 5636 (3), pp. 597-600 : 598

Mesalina watsonana ( Stoliczka, 1872)

Eremias (Mesalina) watsonana Stoliczka 1872: 86

Mesalina watsonana — Murray (1884); Sindaco & Jeremčenko (2008); Boroumand et al. (2024), among others

Eremias guttulata watsonana — Smith (1935); Anderson & Leviton (1969)

Mesalina guttulata watsonana — Nilson & Andren (1981)

Mesalina pardaloides — Blanford (1874)

Mesalina pardalis — Blanford (1876)

Lectotype (hereby designated): ZSI-R-5050 .

Paralectotypes: BMNH 1946.8.7.75 and NHMW 23474:1–3 .

Description of the lectotype

An adult male in relatively good condition apart from the broken and missing tail ( Fig. 2 ); three nasals, lower in contact with loreal, rostral and the first supralabial; shields of head smooth; occipital present and in contact with interparietal; a long, narrow scale at the upper anterior edge of the tympanum (the first scale after that is larger than the others); two large transparent shields on the lower eyelid, accompanied by two smaller shields on the left side and three on the right side; 9 supralabials on both sides, the 5 th is the largest and situated below the orbit; 7 infralabials; five pairs of chinshields, 1 st three pairs touching each other, 1 st pair is the smallest, 1 st chinshield touches 1 st and 2 nd infralabials, 2 nd touches 2 nd and 3 rd infralabials, 3 rd touches 3 rd and 4 th infralabials, 4 th touches 4 th –6 th infralabials and 5 th touches only the 6 th infralabial; scales on tibia slightly keeled; ventral plates in 10 straight longitudinal series; 29 ventral scales in transverse rows; 40 dorsal granular scales across the mid-body; collar complete, curved and serrated comprising 11 collars; 5 submaxillaries; 23 gulars; four supraoculars, the 1 st and 4 th are smaller than others; 6 supraciliaries; incomplete row of granules separating supraoculars and supraciliaries; 1 st supraocular touches 1 st supraciliary; one very large preanal shield surrounded above and at the sides by a row of smaller scales; 13 femoral pores on each side of the thigh, narrowly separated by 2 poreless scales; lamellae under fingers 8-10-13-13-9 and 11-12-15-22-10 lamellae under toes. Length of the body from the tip of the snout to the cloaca: 51.7 mm; width of the head before the tympanum: 8.5 mm; head length, from the tip of the snout to the posterior margin of the collar: 20.0 mm; total forelimb length, from the base to the tip of the 4 th toe: 16.9 mm; trunk length, from the groin to the armpit: 23.0 mm; total hind limb length, from the base to the tip of the 4 th toe: 31.5 mm; pileus length, dorsally from the tip of the snout to posterior margin of parietal and occipital scales: 13.0 mm; head height near the occipital plate: 6.0 mm; mouth length, from the tip of the snout to the mouth corner: 7.3 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Newly designated lectotype of Mesalina watsonana (ZSI R-5050, adult male) in preservative. A. general dorsal view; B. general ventral view; C. ventral view near groin showing femoral pores; D. lamellae of fingers (left side); E. lamellae of toes (left side); F. lateral right side view of the head; G. dorsal view of the head; H. ventral view of the head. Photos by B. Mukharjee (A–B), and P. P. Mohapatra (C–H).