Meroles
# Meroles

Meroles is a genus of lizards, commonly known as desert lizards, in the family Lacertidae. The genus contains eight species, inhabiting southwestern Africa, especially the Namib Desert.

## 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.

* Meroles anchietae (Bocage, 1867) - shovel-snouted lizard, Anchieta's dune lizard
* Meroles ctenodactylus (A. Smith, 1838) - giant desert lizard, Smith's sand lizard, Smith's desert lizard
* Meroles cuneirostris (Strauch, 1867) -wedge-snouted sand lizard, wedge-snouted desert lizard
* Meroles knoxii (Milne-Edwards, 1829) - Knox's ocellated sand lizard, Knox's desert lizard
* Meroles micropholidotus Mertens, 1938 - small-scaled desert lizard
* Meroles reticulatus (Bocage, 1867) - reticulate sand lizard
* Meroles squamulosus (W. Peters, 1869) - common rough-scaled lizard, savanna lizard
* Meroles suborbitalis (W. Peters, 1854) - spotted sand lizard

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Meroles.

