Iberian worm lizard

Iberian worm lizard
Two Iberian worm lizards
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Blanidae
Genus: Blanus
Species:
B. cinereus
Binomial name
Blanus cinereus
(Vandelli, 1797)
Synonyms
  • Amphisbæna cinerea Vandelli, 1797
  • Blanus cinereus — Wagler, 1865[2]
An Iberian worm lizard
B. cinereus with a human finger for scale

The Iberian worm lizard, Mediterranean worm lizard, or European worm lizard (Blanus cinereus) is a species of reptile in the family Blanidae (worm lizards) of the clade Amphisbaenia. The Iberian worm lizard is locally known as cobra-cega (Portuguese), culebrilla ciega (Spanish), and colobreta cega (Catalan),[3] all meaning "blind snake". Recent studies into the mitochondrial and nuclear genomic data of 47 isolated B. cinereus populations show rather large sequence divergence between two apparent clades, leading some researchers to call for a division of the Iberian worm lizard into two species.[4] While little is known of B. cinereus in comparison with some other reptile species, new insight is growing about this primitive, ancestral reptile.

  1. ^ Juan M. Pleguezuelos, Paulo Sá-Sousa, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Rafael Marquez, Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Blanus cinereus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T61469A12490902. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T61469A12490902.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume II. ...Amphisbænidæ. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers.) xiii + 497 pp. + Plates I.- XXIV. (Blanus cinereus, pp. 433-434.)
  3. ^ el País Valencià - Espais naturals protegits Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Albert, E. M., R. Zardoya, and M. García-París. "Phylogeographical and Speciation Patterns in Subterranean Worm Lizards of the Genus Blanus (Amphisbaenia: Blanidae)." Molecular Ecology 16.7 (2007): 1519-531. Print.