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Citation: Midtgaard, Rune. RepFocus - A Survey of the Reptiles of the World. (www.repfocus.dk).
Latest update: December 31st, 2022.


Taxonomy of the family Blanidae
Bibliography of the genus Blanus
Biodiversity of the genus Blanus








Genus
Blanus

Mediterranean Worm Lizards

Netzwühlen, Ringelwühlen

Mediterrane Ormeøgler

1830 Blanus Wagler (type species: Amphisbaena cinerea Vandelli 1797)

Contents: 7 species, of which 3 (42.9%) are endemic.
Endemism: 0% 100%
Distribution: SW. Europe, NW. Africa, Middle East.

Reported from: Gibraltar, Greece (incl. Aegean Islands [incl. Rhodes]), Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Syria, Turkey.

Blanus alexandri

Levant Worm Lizard

Levantische Netzwühle

Levantisk Ormeøgle

2014 Blanus alexandri Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis

Remarks: Records from Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria of strauchi or its former subspecies aporus are herein tentatively assigned to alexandri, following Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis (2014), who assumed that the populations in these countries belong to the latter species. Although being reported (as strauchi or aporus) as common in some places in northern Israel by Lortet (1883) and Tristram (1885), and also listed for the country by several works (e.g., Alexander 1966; Leviton, Anderson, Adler & Minton 1992; Gans 2005), it has never been found in the country by Israeli zoologists despite targeted searches and is not supported by museum evidence (Bouskila 2004; Grillitsch & Werner 2009).
Distribution: Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey.


Blanus aporus

Cilician Worm Lizard

Kilikische Netzwühle

Kilikisk Ormeøgle

1898 Blanus aporus Werner
Blanus strauchi aporus Alexander 1966

Remarks: Revalidated by Gans (2005), but without discussion. Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis (2014) confirmed the validity of aporus as a separate species. See further remarks under alexandri.
Distribution: Turkey.


Blanus cinereus

Southwest Iberian Worm Lizard, (European Worm Lizard, Mediterranean Worm Lizard)

Südwestiberische Netzwühle

Sydvestiberisk Ormeøgle

1797 Amphisbaena cinerea Vandelli
Blanus cinereus Wagler 1830
2009 Blanus mariae Albert & Fernández (Ceríaco & Bauer 2018)

Remarks: Previously included mettetali (e.g., Bons 1963; Gans 1967). North African records refer to mettetali and tingitanus. This species was previously described as mariae by Albert & Fernández (2009), whereas they used the name cinereus for the species now known as vandellii. But mariae and cinereus were subsequently found to represent the same species (Ceríaco & Bauer 2018). As a consequence, Ceríaco & Bauer (2018) synonymized mariae with cinereus, and gave the former Central Iberian "cinereus" population a new name, vandellii.
Distribution: Gibraltar, Portugal, Spain.


Blanus cinereus
© Henrik Bringsøe

Blanus mettetali

Moroccan Worm Lizard

Marokkanische Netzwühle

Marokkansk Ormeøgle

1963 Blanus cinereus mettetali Bons
Blanus mettetali Busack 1988

Distribution: Morocco.


Blanus strauchi

West Anatolian Worm Lizard, (Ringed Worm Lizard, Turkish Worm Lizard)

Westanatolische Netzwühle, (Türkische Netzwühle)

Vestanatolsk Ormeøgle, (Lilleasiatisk Ormeøgle)

1884 Blanus strauchi Bedriaga
1884 Blanus bedriagae Boulenger (Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis 2014)
Blanus strauchi bedriagae Alexander 1966

Remarks: Previously included aporus (e.g., Alexander 1966; Gans 1967) and the populations now assigned to alexandri (Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis 2014). Gans (2005) also revalidated bedriagae as a separate species, but without discussion, however, Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis (2014) retained it as a subspecies of strauchi. Records from Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria of strauchi or of its former subspecies aporus are herein tentatively assigned to alexandri, following Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis (2014), who assumed that the populations in these countries belong to the latter species. Mentioned for Cyprus by Alexander (1966), but neither by Gans (2005) nor by Baier, Sparrow & Wiedl (2009).
Distribution: Greece (Aegean Islands [incl. Rhodes]), Turkey.


Blanus strauchi
© Henrik Bringsøe

Blanus tingitanus

Tangier Worm Lizard

Tangier-Netzwühle

Tangier-ormeøgle

1988 Blanus tingitanus Busack

Distribution: Morocco.


Blanus vandellii

Central Iberian Worm Lizard

Zentraliberische Netzwühle

Centraliberisk Ormeøgle

2018 Blanus vandellii Ceríaco & Bauer

Remarks: Referred to as cinereus by Albert & Fernández (2009), but this taxon was subsequently found to be conspecific with mariae, desribed by the same authors. As a consequence, Ceríaco & Bauer (2018) synonymized mariae with cinereus, which has nomenclatural priority, and gave the former "cinereus" population a new name, vandellii. Speybroeck & al. (2020) referred to this species as B. rufus (Hemprich 1820), although it is not clear whether the two taxa are conspecific.
Distribution: Portugal, Spain.