''Meroles'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

s, commonly known as desert lizards, in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Lacertidae The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found ...

. The genus contains eight species, inhabiting southwestern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, especially the

Namib Desert The Namib ( ; ) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namibia, and northwest South Africa, extending southward from the Carunjamba Ri ...

Description

Desert lizards have fine, granular dorsal scales. The hind toes are elongated and possess fringes of scales.

Species

The following eight species are recognized as being valid. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Meroles anchietae'' - shovel-snouted lizard, Anchieta's dune lizard *'' Meroles ctenodactylus'' - giant desert lizard, Smith's sand lizard, Smith's desert lizard *'' Meroles cuneirostris'' -wedge-snouted sand lizard, wedge-snouted desert lizard *'' Meroles knoxii'' - Knox's ocellated sand lizard, Knox's desert lizard *'' Meroles micropholidotus'' - small-scaled desert lizard *'' Meroles reticulatus'' - reticulate sand lizard *'' Meroles squamulosus'' - common rough-scaled lizard, savanna lizard *'' Meroles suborbitalis'' - spotted sand lizard ''

Nota bene ( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''. In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Meroles''.

Description

Species

References

Further reading