Blanus mariae

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Cladus: Unidentata Episquamata

Subordo: Lacertoidea
Infraordo: Lacertibaenia
Cladus: Amphisbaenia

Familia: Blanidae
Genus: Blanus
Species: Blanus mariae
Name

Blanus mariae Albert & Fernández, 2009
Type data

Holotype: MNCN 44638
Type kind: female
Type locality: Faro region, Loulé (37º08'N, -8º02'W), Portugal
Paratypes (1 female, 2 males)

References

Albert, E.M.; Fernández, A. 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. Abstract & excerpt

Maria's Worm Lizard (Blanus mariae) is an amphisbaenian species in the family Blanidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.[1]

Geographic range

Blanus mariae is found in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, mainly in the southern half of Portugal and in the spanish autonomous communities of Extremadura and western Andalusia.[1][2]
Taxonomy

Blanus mariae forms a cryptic species complex with Blanus cinereus.[3]
Etymology

The specific name, mariae, is in honour of Maria del Rosario Aguilar Tortajada (1914–2002), the grandmother of Eva María Albert, one of the scientists who described this species.[1][4]
Description

Blanus mariae has an average snout–vent length of 175 mm (6.9 in). The body colour is pale pink to dark brilliant purple, with a reticulate pattern caused by the inter-segmental sutures.[1]
References

Blanus mariae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 8 July 2015.
"Blanus mariae". Albert y Fernández, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
Bolet, Arnau; Delfino, Massimo; Fortuny, Josep; Almécija, Sergio; Robles, Josep M.; Alba, David M. (4 June 2014). "An amphisbaenian skull from the European Miocene and the evolution of Mediterranean worm lizards". PLOS ONE. 9 (6): e98082. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...998082B. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098082. PMC 4045672. PMID 24896828.

Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Blanus mariae, pp. 168-169).

Further reading
Albert, Eva M.; Fernández, Adrián (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. (Blanus mariae, new species).