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Blanus vandellii CERÍACO & BAUER, 2018

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Higher TaxaBlanidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Vandelli’s Worm Lizard, Central Iberian Worm Lizard 
SynonymBlanus vandellii CERÍACO & BAUER 2018
Amphisbaena rufa HEMPRICH 1820
Blanus rufus — SPEYBROECK et al. 2020
Blanus vandellii — PAIVA et al. 2023 
DistributionPortugal, SE Spain

Type locality: Carvoeiro, Mação (39.6244 N, −7.923056 E; WGS-84), Portugal  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: MB = MUHNAC 03-000372, adult male, collected by Albano Soares on 17 April 1987.
Holotype: ZMB, from Southern Spain [Amphisbaena rufa] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (vandellii): As noted in Albert and Fernández (2009), the morphological distinction of the two Iberian species of Blanus is not straightforward, as there are no discrete external morphological characters that allow an unambiguous identification of each species. Comparisons between Albert and Fernández (2009) and the specimens analysed in this study are presented in Table 2. Through the analysis of the limited available material and the data presented by Albert and Fernández (2009) the new species can be distinguished from B. cinereus by smaller snout–vent length (74–200 mm fide Albert and Fernández (2009); 102.4–189 mm our measurements) in B. vandellii versus (85– 253 mm fide Albert and Fernández (2009); 130–210 mm our measurements) in B. cinereus, a higher number of dorsal segments (14–20 in B. vandellii versus 13–17 in B. cinereus fide Albert and Fernández (2009) and ventral segements (14–20 in B. vandellii versus 13–18 in B. cinereus fide Albert and Fernández (2009). In general, B. vandellii is a smaller, less bulky animal than B. cinereus. However, these characters are not particularly useful, and only in some animals (e.g. animals with more than 18 dorsal segments) is it possible to use them to unambiguously differentitate the two species. As noted by Albert and Fernández (2009), there are also differences between the two species at several positions in their ‘Anonymous Unknown Nuclear Gene.’ These authors also highlighted the deep mitochondrial (ND4) divergence between the two species but did not provide any associated diagnostic molecular characters.


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CommentSynonymy: Note that older names, Amphisbaena oxyura Wagler, 1824 and Amphisbaena rufa Hemprich, 1820, may be available for this taxon. However, Ceríaco and Bauer (2018) treated these two names as nomina dubia and created the new nomen Blanus vandellii. See also Speybroeck et al. 2020 (who accepted Blanus rufus) for further discussion.

Publication date: The publication year of HEMPRICH’s description is sometimes given as 1829. However, BAUER (2001) concluded that 1820 is the correct date.

Distribution: see map in CERÍACO & BAUER 2018: 18 (with unclear labels though). 
EtymologyThe species is named after Domingos Vandelli, founder of modern Portuguese natural history and describer of the first Iberian Blanus. 
References
  • Albert, Eva M. and Adrián Fernández 2009. Evidence of cryptic speciation in a fossorial reptile: description of a new species of Blanus (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae) from the Iberian Peninsula. Zootaxa 2234: 56-68 - get paper here
  • Ceríaco, Luis M. P. & Aaron M. Bauer 2018. An integrative approach to the nomenclature and taxonomic status of the genus Blanus Wagler, 1830 (Squamata: Blanidae) from the Iberian Peninsula. Journal of Natural History 52: 849-880 - get paper here
  • Hemprich, F.W. 1820. Grundriss der Naturgeschichte fur hohere Lehranstalten. August Rücker, Berlin. viii, 432.pp. [Posthumous edition published in 1829 with 535 pp.]
  • PAIVA, C., WINDEN, J. V. D., BOGAERTS, S., & COSTA, H. 2023. A review of chromatic anomalies in Blanus (Amphisbaenia: Blanidae) through citizen science records. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 47(5), 315-318
  • SANTOS, B. S., MARQUES, M. P., & CERÍACO, L. M. 2024. Lack of country-wide systematic herpetology collections in Portugal jeopardizes future research and conservation. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 96, e20230622 - get paper here
  • Speybroeck, Jeroen; Wouter Beukema, Christophe Dufresnes, Uwe Fritz, Daniel Jablonski, Petros Lymberakis, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Edoardo Razzetti, Melita Vamberger, Miguel Vences, Judit Vörös0, Pierre-André Crochet 2020. Species list of the European herpetofauna – 2020 update by the Taxonomic Committee of the Societas Europaea Herpetologica.. Amphibia-Reptilia 41: 139-189 - get paper here
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
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