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Blanus cinereus VANDELLI, 1797

IUCN Red List - Blanus cinereus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaBlanidae, Amphisbaenia, Lacertoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Mediterranean Worm Lizard
G: Maurische Netzwühle
D: Moorse Wormhagedis 
SynonymAmphisbaena Cinerea BAPTISTA 1783 (nomen nudum)
Amphisbaena reticulata THUNBERG in HOLMER 1787: 30 (nomen oblitum)
Amphisbaena Cinerea VANDELLI 1797: 69
Amphisbaena oxyura WAGLER 1824: 72
[Blanus] cinereus WAGLER 1830
Amphisbaena Cinerea — GERVAIS 1837
Amphisbaena cinerea — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1839: 500
Blanus cinereus — GRAY 1865: 369
Amphisbaena cinerea — BOETTGER 1880
Blanus cinereus — ENGELMANN et al 1993
Blanus cinereus — VACONCELOS et al. 2006
Blanus mariae ALBERT & FERNÁNDEZ 2009
Blanus cinereus — KWET & TRAPP 2015
Blanus cinereus — SPEYBROECK et al. 2020 
DistributionPortugal (incl. Pessegueiro), Spain

Type locality: ‘‘Lusitanica’’ = Portugal; lectotype locality: São Bento, Lisboa (38.7115 N, −9.1547 E; WGS-84), Portugal.

mariae: S Portugal, S Spain, Gibraltar; Type locality: Faro region, Loulé (37º 08´N, -8º 02´W), Portugal.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesNeotype: MB = MUHNAC 03-000375, adult male (designated by CERÍACO & BAUER 2018)
Lectotype: ANSP 9672, collected by Vandelli and exchanged from the museum at Lisbon plus others (fide GANS 2005) (designated by ALBERT & FERNANDEZ 2009 but invalidated by CERÍACO & BAUER 2018).
Holotype: ZMB 1389 [Amphisbaena rufa]
Holotype: MNCN 44638 Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain. An adult female collected by Eva M. Albert and Jordi Bascompte on March 2002 [mariae] 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (2785 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSynonymy: Blanus mariae is a synonym of B. cinereus fide Ceríaco and Bauer (2018) and Speybroeck et al. 2020.

Distribution map in VACONCELOS et al. 2006, CERÍACO & BAUER 2018: 18 (blue dots). Not in Morocco (Martínez et al. 2019, and pers. comm. 18 Jan 2021).

Type species: Amphisbaena cinerea is the type species of the genus Blanus WAGLER 1830. Blanus is the type genus of the family Blanidae KEARNEY 2003.

Synonymy: Petition for suppression of the name Amphisbaena reticulata submitted by Gans, 1961b: 223. Nomen oblitum fide International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 1961: art. 23b, and Gans 1984. 
EtymologyNamed after its color, Latin “cinis, cineris” = ash.

B. mariae was named in honor of Maria Rosario Tortajada Aguilar E.M.A.´s grandmother, who died in tragic accident years ago, for her constant support.

The genus was named after Greek blános (βλάνος) = blind. 
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
  • BARBADILLO, L.J. 1983. About the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in the province of Burgos. Goal. I am. Cat. Ictio. Herp. 5-10-10-7 - get paper here
  • Bauer, Aaron M. 2001. On the correct date of description of Amphisbaena scutigera Hemprich and A. rufa Hemprich. International Society for the History and Bibliography of Herpetology 3 (1):11-13 - get paper here
  • Bedriaga, JAKOB VLADIMIROVIC 1884. Àmphisbaena cinerea Vand. und A. strauchi v. Bedr. Erster Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Doppelschleichen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 50 (1): 23-77 - get paper here
  • Boettger, O. 1879. Amphibien aus Südportugal. Z. ges. Naturwiss. 52: 497-534 - get paper here
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  • Bons JACQUES 1963. Notes sur Blanus cinereus (Vandelli) description d'une sous-espèce Marocaine: Blanus cinereus mettetali ssp. nov. Bull. Soc. Sci. Nat. Phys. Maroc, nos. 1-2: 95-107
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  • CASTRO-EXPÓSITO, ARANCHA DE; ENRIQUE GARCÍA-MUÑOZ & FRANCISCO GUERRERO. 2021. Reptile diversity in a Mediterranean wetlands landscape (Alto Guadalquivir region, southeastern Spain): are they affected by human impacts? Acta Herpetologica 16(1): 27–36. - 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
  • Duméril, A. M. C. and G. Bibron. 1839. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles. Vol. 5. Roret/Fain et Thunot, Paris, 871 pp. - get paper here
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  • Fernández-Ortín, Daniel; Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Íñigo Martínez-Solano 2019. A catalogue of reptiles of Monfragüe National Park (Spain), with molecular characterization of populations of Blanus WAGLER, 1830 in this protected area. Basic and Applied Herpetology - get paper here
  • Gans, C. 1962. Notes on amphisbaenids (Amphishaenia, Reptilia) I. on the name Amphisbaena reticulata Holmer 1787. British Journal of Herpetology 3: 12-13.
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  • GARCÍA-DÍEZ, TERESA; JOSÉ E. GONZÁLEZ-FERNÁNDEZ 2013. The reptile type specimens preserved in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) of Madrid, Spain. Zootaxa 3619 (1): 046–058 - get paper here
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  • Gil, M. J.; Guerrero, F.; Pérez-Mellado, V. 1993. Observations on morphometrics and ecology in Blanus cinereus (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia). Journal of Herpetology 27 (2): 205-209 - get paper here
  • Glandt, Dieter;Schlüpmann, Martin;Thiesmeier, Burkhard 1998. Herpetologische Beobachtungen in der Algarve, Südportugal. Zeitschrift für Feldherpetologie 5: 181-208 - get paper here
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  • Gray,J.E. 1865. A revision of the genera and species of amphisbaenians with the descriptions of some new species now in the collection of the British Museum. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 16: 365-377 - get paper here
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