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Meroles micropholidotus MERTENS, 1938

IUCN Red List - Meroles micropholidotus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaLacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Small-scaled Desert Lizard 
SynonymMeroles micropholidotus MERTENS 1938: 12
Scaptira micropholidotus — FITZSIMONS 1943: 370
Meroles micropholidotus — HAACKE 1975
Meroles micropholidotus — SZCZERBAK 1989
Meroles micropholidotus — LAMB & BAUER 2003
Meroles micropholidotus — EDWARDS et al. 2013 
DistributionNamibia (coast desert north of Lüderitz)

Type locality: Lüderitzbucht  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: SMF 22245, male, also given as UMB (Bremen) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: “Eine Form der Saurites-Gruppe, mit Scapteira cuneirostris am nächsten verwandt, aber durch nur 2 Supraocularia, aneinanderstossende Nasalia, nicht vorspringende Nasenöffnungen, kleinere Rückenschuppen und bedeutendere Ausmasse verschieden.” (Mertens 1938) 
Comment 
EtymologyNamed after Greek mikros (μικρός), small, tiny + Greek pholis (φολίς), scale + Latin -otus, having the nature of, for the smaller dorsal scales in this species. 
References
  • Arnold, E.N. 1991. Relationships of the South African lizards assigned to Aporosaura, Meroles and Pedioplanis (Reptilia: Lacertidae). Journal of Natural History 25: 783–807 - get paper here
  • EDWARDS, SHELLEY; WILLIAM R. BRANCH, BIEKE VANHOOYDONCK, ANTHONY HERREL, G. JOHN MEASEY, KRYSTAL A. TOLLEY 2013. Taxonomic adjustments in the systematics of the southern African lacertid lizards (Sauria: Lacertidae). Zootaxa 3669 (2): 101–114 - get paper here
  • Haacke, W. D. 1975. Herpetological investigations in the sand sea of the southern Namib. . TRANSVAAL MUSEUM BULLETIN No. 15: 8-10
  • Herrmann, H.-W.; W.R. Branch 2013. Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist. Journal of Arid Environments 93: 94–115 - get paper here
  • Lamb, T. & A.M. Bauer 2003. Meroles revisited: complementary systematic inference from additional mitochondrial genes and complete taxon sampling of southern Africa’s desert lizards. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29: 360–364 - get paper here
  • Mertens, R. 1937. Zur Kenntnis der Reptilien-Fauna der Lüderitz-Bucht, Südwest-Afrika. Veroeff. Deutsch. Kolon.- u. Uebersee-Mus. Bremen 2: 10-16
  • Mitchell, A.J.L.; Steyn, W. 1967. Further distribution records of Reptiles in SW- Africa. Cimbebasia 21: 23-26 (Windhoek)
  • Robinson, M.D.; C.W. Barrows 2013. Namibian and North American sand-diving lizards. Journal of Arid Environments 93: 116–125 - get paper here
  • Szczerbak, Nikolai N. 1989. Catalogue of the African Sand lizards (Reptilia: Sauria: Eremiainae: Lampreremias, Pseuderemias, Taenieremias, Mesalina, Meroles). Herpetozoa 1 (3/4): 119-132. - get paper here
 
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