Mesalina watsonana, commonly known as the Persian long-tailed desert lizard, is a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to Asia.
Etymology The specific name, watsonana, is in honor of "Mr. H.E. Watson" who was a Civil Officer in Pakistan.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Mesalina watsonana, p. 280).
Geographic range Mesalina watsonana occurs in, from west to east, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
Reproduction Mesalina watsonana is oviparous.
References
Further reading Nilson G, Andrén C (1981). "Die Herpetofauna des Kavir-Schutzgebietes, Kavir-Wüste, Iran ". Salamandra 17 (3/4): 130–146. (Mesalina guttulata watsonana, p. 138). (in German, with an abstract in English, and bilingual image captions). Sindaco R, Jeremčenko VK (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. Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. . Smith MA (1935). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (Eremias guttulata watsonana, pp. 389–390). Stoliczka F (1872). "Notes on Reptiles, collected by Surgeon F. Day in Sind". Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 1872: 85–92. ("Eremias [Mesalina] Watsonana", new species, pp. 86–87).