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The butterflies of the Valli di Lanzo are poorly known, with less than 40 species documented by the literature, even though the Valli di Lanzo are located near Turin and are a traditional destination for summer vacation and excursionism in the Alps. The present study is aimed to fill such a gap in knowledge. The authors carried out qualitative surveys in several localities of the Valli di Lanzo in the years 2019 and 2020, and they found 131 species of butterflies, as well as 13 additional species in the adjoining Prealpine mountains. The species richness of the community is quite high when compared to other Alpine areas and other parts of Piedmont. More than one third of the recorded species is very localized (1-3 localities of occurrence). This is true especially for the typical high-alpine species. The occurrence of 9 species of community interest and several others of conservation concern has been detected in the study area.

The butterflies of the Site of Community Importance (SCI) IT1180030 “Calanchi di Rigoroso, Sottovalle e Carrosio”(Piedmont, NW Italy).The Site of Community Importance (SCI) “Calanchi di Rigoroso, Sottovalle e Carrosio” (code: IT1180030) is a recently designated Rete Natura 2000 site, which has no published data of Lepidoptera Papilionoidea. Therefore, the present study represents the first contribute to the knowledge of the butterflies of the site, that was investigated by the authors in 2020.72 species of butterflies were detected, some of which having a restricted range in Piedmont. The species richness is high, considering the reduced extension of the site and the reduced heterogeneity of the habitats. The community of butterflies shows a greater presence of thermophilous species and a lower percentage of heliophilic species, poor vagile species and xerophilic species when compared to the regional butterfly community. Finally, the conservation status of the community is discussed.

Mesalina austroarabica sp. nov. (Figs. 1–5; Tables 1–5, Appendices I and III) Mesalina adramitana Arnold 1980: 307 (part.); Arnold 1986a: 426 (part.); Sindaco & Jeremcenko 2008: 261 (part.); Gardner 2013: 292 (part). Mesalina ayunensis van der Kooij 2001: 20 (part.); Mesalina spec. van der Kooij 2001: 21. Mesalina guttulata Kapli et al. 2015: 6. Mesalina sp. 1 Carranza et al. 2018. Holotype. Adult male MCCI-R1611, Oman, Dhofar Governorate, Jebel Samhan at 17.1161°N, 54.7131°E WGS84 (about 16 km E of Tawi Atair), 1,321 m a.s.l., 4 January 2010, R. Sindaco, C. Grieco, A. Venchi leg. Paratypes. Two adult males and an adult female MCCI-R1624/1- 3, same locality as the holotype, 19 November 2010, R. Sindaco, C. Grieco, A. Venchi leg.; a female (ONHM4331), same locality as the holotype, 30 April 2011, S. Carranza, E. Gómez-Díaz, F. Amat leg.; a male MCCI-R1810, Jebel Samhan at 17.1597°N, 54.8069°E WGS84, 1,594 m a.s.l., 14 October 2013, S. Carranza, M. Metallinou, R. Sindaco, J. Šmíd, R. Vasconcelos leg.; a male NMP 6V- 74966/1 and a young NMP 6V- 74966/2 Jebel Samhan at 17.1494°N, 54.9757°E WGS 84, 233 m a.s.l., same date and collectors as MCCI-R1810. Other specimens examined. Adult female NMP 6 V-74951, Oman, Dhofar, Jebel al Qamar at 16.8014°N, 53.2783°E, 1,076 m a.s.l., 27 December 2012, J. Šmíd, A. Chudárková leg., plus nine specimens used only for genetic analyses (no vouchers available, juvenile or damaged specimens); all listed in Appendix I. Etymology. The species epithet “ austroarabica ” is an adjective that refers to the geographic range of its populations, distributed across southern Arabia. Diagnosis. A small-sized Mesalina characterized by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) well-developed occipital scale in contact with the interparietal (Fig. 5E); (2) lower eyelid with a window made up of two large scales edged with black (Fig. 5D); (3) curved collar (Fig. 5F); (4) four upper labials in front of the subocular (Fig. 5D); (5) ventral plates in 8 straight longitudinal rows, the outermost much smaller (almost indistinct in MCCI-R 1624) (Fig. 5B); (6) scales on the upper surface of the tibia keeled (Fig. 5A); (7) lamellae under 4th toe, 20-21; (8) dorsal coloration of adult, brown-greyish, with incomplete black-and-white ocelli (the white dots are not completely surrounded by black, but only flanked by specks on one or either sides), ordered in irregular longitudinal and transverse rows (Fig. 5A); (9) bluish tail in juvenile specimens. There are no obvious diagnostic characters separating M. austroarabica sp. nov. from M. guttulata, M. bahaeldini and from the populations from the highlands of southwestern Arabia (M. sp. A in Arnold 1986a) described below. Statistical analyses (see Results above) show significant differences from M. guttulata in having smaller SVL (males), larger %HL (males and females) and larger %HW (females). Mesalina austroarabica sp. nov. shows significant differences from M. bahaeldini in having smaller SVL (males), less dorsals at midbody (males and females), and larger %HL and %forelimb length (females). Mesalina austroarabica sp. nov. shows significant differences with the populations from the highlands of southwestern Arabia (M. sp. A in Arnold 1986a) that is described herein, in having smaller SVL (males), less enlarged plates in the collar (males), less dorsals at midbody (males), less transverse rows of ventrals (males), less femoral pores (males), larger %HW (males and females), larger %forelimb length (males), larger value of Lamellae percSVL (males and females), larger %HL (females), larger %hindlimb length (females), larger %4th toe length (females). Genetic and phylogenetic remarks. The phylogenetic analyses by Kapli et al. (2015) and the phylogenetic and nuclear network analyses performed in this study (Fig. 2; Table 1) support the hypothesis that M. austroarabica sp. nov. is a different species. The level of genetic differentiation (p -distance) between the new species versus the other members of the Mesalina guttulata species complex ranges between 3.6–6.6% in the 12S, 4.3–6.4% in the 16S and 11.7–15.7% in the cytb genes (Table 1). A network analysis of the nuclear gene MC1R indicates that, despite the large number of samples of the M. guttulata species complex included in the analysis (36 specimens; 72 alleles), all five haplotypes (22 alleles) of M. austroarabica sp. nov. are private (Fig. 3; Appendix I). Description of the holotype. An adult male, with well-developed femoral pores, and original tail. Measurements, meristic characters and indexes: SVL = 41.5 mm, HL1 = 12.8 mm (31% of SVL), HL2 = 5.6 mm (13% of SVL), HL3 = 5.1 mm (12% of SVL), Head width = 7.0 mm (17% of SVL), Head depth = 5.0 mm (12% of SVL), pileus = 11.6 mm (28% of SVL), Forelimb length = 16.4 mm (40% of SVL), Hindlimb length = 31.4 mm (76% of SVL), 4th toe length = 9.9 mm (24% of SVL), Tail length = 93.0 mm, supralabials 8/9, subocular = 5/5, gulars = 25, enlarged plates in collar = 8, midbody scales = 39, longitudinal rows of ventrals = 8+2 (smaller), transversal rows of ventrals = 28, femoral pores = 13+13, lamellae under the 4th toe = 21. Head index = 183, Toe index = 32, Lamellae percSVL = 1.14. The two translucent scales forming the window in the lower eyelid are completely bordered by black. Coloration in alcohol: numerous small incomplete ocelli, each one formed by 3 or 4 whitish scales forming a dot and surrounded left and/or right by a few black colored scales. These ocelli form 6-8 irregular longitudinal series and about 13 very irregular transverse series, between the fore- and hindlimbs; they further extend to the base of the tail and to the hindlimbs. These ocelli become small black and white dots on the neck and on small scales of the head. The pileus is creamy-grey with irregular blackish specks. On the sides of the head a discontinuous dark stripe is present from the upper border of the ear opening, across the eye, to the loreal scale. Another ill-defined dark stripe (that consists of a few blackish irregular spots) extends between the mid-ear opening and the subocular scale. Flanks with a more or less distinct latero-ventral whitish stripe and a usually indistinct dorso-lateral light stripe. The ventral side is creamy-white, immaculate, with the exception of the infralabial scales, which are irregularly dotted with small gray spots, as well as the outer ventrals and the anterior margin of thighs. Variation. Quantitative variation (mensural and meristic) in the type series (n = 9) is summarized in Tables 2– 5. In one paratype (MCC-R1624/1), an additional scale separates the supranasals, and the naso-frontal scale is fragmented on the left side. The latter anomaly is present in the paratype (MCC-R1624/2) too. Coloration in life. Ground color brownish with more or less intense shades of gray (Fig. 5G). In October- November, the lateral parts of the belly and sides of the head have a pink-orange hue. Tail grayish with cyan shades in young specimens; the young depicted by van der Kooij (2001: 21) has the distal half of the tail distinctly cyan. Distribution and habitat. The species is widely distributed across more than 1,200 km in southern Arabia; from the Jebel Samhan in Dhofar to the Yemen Mountains (Fig. 1). It is unknown if the distribution is continuous or discontinuous and restricted to mountains. The type locality is a flat area (possibly a filled sinkhole) close to an escarpment, very scarcely vegetated, surrounded by low rocky hills covered by shrubs. Specimens were active among stones at the base of hills’ slopes. Other syntopic reptiles are the newly described species of Tropiocolotes (Machado et al. 2018), Pristurus sp. 1, Pristurus carteri, Pseudotrapelus dhofarensis, Psammophis schokari (a possible predator). Notes. Sexual maturity is probably reached with SVL ≥ 30 mm, as a male with SVL= 31 mm collected in October had femoral pores that produce secretions.

Supplemental Material, Appendix_S1 for Biogeographical structure and endemism pattern in reptiles of the Western Palearctic by Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Mattia Falaschi, Anna Bonardi, Emilio Padoa-Schioppa, Roberto Sindaco in Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

Trabajo presentado en el III Iberian Congress of Biological Systematics (CISA 2015), celebrado en Vitoria-Gasteiz el 17 y 18 de diciembre de 2015., Mesalina is a widespread lacertid lizard genus that inhabits arid areas from North Africa to Pakistan. With around 13 species, many of them exhibit high genetic diversity and complex phylogenetic and biogeographic patterns. The taxonomic history of Mesalina is troubled, given the confusing morphological differentiation together with the geographical overlap between many species and the lack of samples for both morphological and molecular studies. Previous phylogenetic studies of this genus show that M. guttulata represents a species complex but the phylogenetic position of some populations from the Arabian Peninsula remains unknown. In this talk we will show an updated multilocus time-calibrated phylogeny of the genus Mesalina with especial emphasis on the Arabian species with the aim of revising their systematics and biogeography. In order to achieve our goal, we have include an unprecedented sampling with 13 representatives of the 14 described species of Mesalina collected across more than 12 million square km. Besides the sampling effort, the sequencing effort is equally important with more than 400 new sequences produced including three mitochondrial ( 12S, 16S and cytb ) and one nuclear gene ( mc1r). The recovered phylogeny is very robust and shows that the genus started diversifying 22 Ma ago in Eurasia, dispersing from Arabia to Africa and vice versa several times giving rise to the current species diversity. Within Arabia, we extend the distribution ranges of several species and identify three deep lineages, two from mountain regions in SW Arabia and South Oman and one widespread across central Arabia that correspond to three new species of Mesalina according to molecular and morphological data. Finally, a specific study adding sequences of three more nuclear genes ( acm4, cmos and and rag1 ) of several Arabian species clearly show that the Socotra Archipelago was colonized by a single long range transmarine dispersal by the ancestor of M. ayunensis and the two Socotran species M. kuri and M. balfouri. The two Socotran endemics originated approximately 5 Ma by an intra archipelago colonization event from Socotra Island to Abd al Kuri or vice versa.

Trabajo presentado en la International Biogeography Society 7th Biennial Meeting, celebrada en Bayreuth (Alemania) del 8 al 12 de enero de 2015., Acanthodactylus lizards are among the most diverse, abundant and widespread reptiles in the arid areas of northern Africa to southwest Asia. It is the most species rich genus in the family Lacertidae, currently with over 40 recognized species. We sampled 302 individuals representing 36 species and most subspecies from across the distributional range of the genus. We sequenced all specimens for two mitochondrial (12S, Cytb) and three nuclear (MC1R, ACM4, c-mos) markers, reconstructing the first large scale calibrated molecular phylogeny of Acanthodactylus to gain insights into its historical biogeography. The onset of Acanthodactylus cladogenesis is estimated to have occurred due to vicariance and dispersal processes with the separation into three clades: the Western and the scutellatus clades mostly distributed in northern Africa, and the Eastern clade from the Middle-East, Arabia and southwestern Asia. Most Acanthodactylus species diverged during the Miocene corresponding to regional tectonic movements and climate change.

Blanus strauchi bedriagae (Boulenger, 1884) Blanus bedriagae Boulenger, 1884. TYPE LOCALITY: ���from the river Xanthus, Asia Minor ���. SYNTYPES: BM 1946.8. 2.14, 1946.8. 2.30, 1946.8.31.84- 93 (according to Alexander 1966 the series currently consists of only specimens 85-93, but ZIL 6679 - now ZISP -, coming from the British Museum in 1885, may represent the missing specimen). B. strauchi is the available name for the populations of western Anatolia (presumably west of the Antalya area) and the Greek Islands. Two subspecies can be recognized on the basis of both morphological and genetic data: B. s. strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884) in the West and in most of Greek islands, and B. s. bedriagae Boulenger, 1884, in the East (including Kastellorizo Island). The boundary between these subspecies lies between Ula (Muğla province) and Fethiye., Published as part of Sindaco, Roberto, Kornilios, Panagiotis, Sacchi, Roberto & Lymberakis, Petros, 2014, Taxonomic reassessment of Blanus strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884) (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae), with the description of a new species from south-east Anatolia (Turkey), pp. 311-326 in Zootaxa 3795 (3) on page 320, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3795.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/230932, {"references":["Boulenger, G. A. (1884) Descriptions of new species of reptiles and batrachians in the British Museum. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 5 th series, 13, 396 - 398.","Alexander, A. A. (1966) Taxonomy and variation of Blanus strauchi. Copeia, 1966, 205 - 224. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 1441127","Bedriaga, J. (1884) Nachtragliche Bemerkung uber Amphisbaena strauchi v. Bedr. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 7, 346."]}