There are three major subspecies of
M. monspessulanus throughout its Mediterranean range. There is a deep genetic divergence between the western subspecies,
M. m. monspessulanus, and the two eastern subspecies,
M. m. insignitus and
M. m. fuscus, leading to a proposal to recognize the eastern form as a distinct species,
M. insignitus. These two groups are estimated to have split about 3.5 to 6 million years ago. A fourth subspecies,
M. m. saharatlanticus, was described in 2006.
M. m. monspessulanus M. m. monspessulanus occurs in southwestern Europe (
Spain,
Portugal, southern
France and northwestern
Italy) and the western
Maghreb, where it is found in
Morocco and coastal
Algeria, east to Algiers. On the mid-body, there are usually 19 dorsal scale rows and a dark 'saddle' on the foreparts is present in males.
M. m. monspessulanus possesses a single median
process on its
basioccipital bone that forms a strong spur, directed backwards; in the two eastern subspecies, two processes or indistinct hardened pieces of bones are present. There is little genetic or morphological differentiation between North African and European populations, suggesting a recent arrival in Europe.
M. m. fuscus M. m. fuscus is found in southeastern Europe and
Turkey through northern
Iraq and western
Iran. It differs from
M. m. insignitus in having only 17 dorsal scale rows on its mid-body.
M. m. saharatlanticus Another subspecies,
M. m. saharatlanticus, lives in the region from
Bouizakarne in Morocco to
Dakhla in the
Western Sahara, inland to
Aoulouz and
Tafraoute.
Delimitation issues Forms of
M. monspessulanus found in the more arid parts of Syria,
Jordan, and Iraq are sometimes hard to classify because they have either 17 or 19 scale rows, resembling both
M. m. fuscus and
M. m. insignitus. ==Human interaction==