BACKGROUND: The lacertid genus Mesalina has been the subject of several phylogenetic and biogeographic studies as well as taxonomic revisions within the last decade. The genus is partitioned into seven main clades, some of which represent species complexes of morphologically very similar species. The Mesalina guttulata species complex is one such case. This complex currently comprises four described species that occur through Arabia and northern Africa, however, the presence of a cryptic species in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan was pointed out recently. For this study, we collected new material of the various species of the M. guttulata complex, including the undescribed lineage from across Saudi Arabia. We carried out multilocus phylogenetic analyses using three mitochondrial and three nuclear markers and analysis of morphological data to verify whether the undescribed lineage deserves a species rank. RESULTS: The results show that the lineage is clearly genetically separated from the other species of the complex and shows morphological differentiation from the other species. Therefore, we describe it herein as a new species, Mesalina cryptica sp. nov. CONCLUSIONS: We contribute to the taxonomy of Arabian lacertid lizards by describing a new species distributed in central Saudi Arabia, with isolated populations occurring in Kuwait and Jordan. Despite its large range, the species is genetically and morphologically homogeneous. The gap in its distribution between the Jordan and Saudi Arabia populations is ascribable to the paucity of sampling along the Saudi/Iraqi border.

African Amphibian Conservation Research Group Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management North West University Potchefstroom South Africa

Biology department Faculty of Science University of Ha'il Hail Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Department of Biology Faculty of Education University of Aden Aden Yemen

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Viničná 7 Prague Czech Republic

Department of Zoology National Museum Cirkusová 1740 Prague Czech Republic

FLORA FAUNA and MAN Ecological Services Ltd Tortola British Virgin Islands

Institute of Evolutionary Biology Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 37 49 08003 Barcelona Spain

KAUST Beacon Development KAUST National Transformation Institute Innovation Cluster 4700 King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Thuwal 23955 6900 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Lycée Saint Exupéry B P 31 Brazzaville Republic of Congo

Natural History Collective Ventures Jalan Awan Cina Taman Yarl 58200 Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur Malaysia

NEOM Nature Reserve NEOM NC1 Sharma Tabuk Province Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Development Authority Al Wajh 43929 Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Street Tabuk Governorate Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Terrestrial wildlife conservation department National Center for Wildlife Riyadh Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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