Name: Blanford’s Short-Nosed Desert Lizard
Scientific name: Mesalina brevirostris
Synonym: Eremias brevirostris
Type: Diurnal lizards
Family: Lacertidae
Habitat:
This is a small lizard with a total length smaller than 15 cm lizard that is active during the day. It can be found on hard soils with scrubs and in sandy areas with sparse vegetation. This is present in the mainland and also on the Qatari islands. They eat insects and other small invertebrates. Females lay eggs in burrows
World Distribution:
The species is distributed from Sinai (Egypt) and south-east Anatolia (Turkey) to Syria and southern Iran; northern Arabian Peninsula, Qatar and Pakistan penetrating into Punjab. Its type localities are Kalabagh (Punjab) and Tumb Island (Arabian Gulf)
Conservation status:
It is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List
Scientific publications:
We have found 13 scientific publications about the species in international data bases. Most studies are general about their geographic distribution, and few focus on physiology and genetics. No information about the ecology of the species exists for Qatar
Similar species:
Can be mistaken for Mesalina adramitana
Description:
Blanford, 1874
