Blanus

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Blanidae
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Blanus
Iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Clade: Amphisbaenia
Family: Blanidae
Kearney 2003
Genus: Blanus
Wagler, 1830[1]

Blanus, also known as worm lizards, are a

Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa.[2]
Like other amphisbaenians, Blanus species are specialized for a subterranean existence, with long, slender bodies, reduced limbs, and rudimentary eyes. Their skulls are powerfully constructed, allowing them to push through soil to create a burrow. Their jaws are well-developed, with large, recurved teeth and a pair of canine-like teeth in the upper jaw.

Five extant species are currently known. The relationships of Blanus to other worm-lizards are not clear. The genus was formerly included in the Amphisbaenidae. More recent analyses suggest that blanids are more primitive, and are either related to Bipes[3] or represent an even more ancient lineage.[4]

A number of fossils from Europe have been referred either to Blanus or to the Blanidae.[5]

Species

Evolutionary tree of Blanidae; extinct species denoted with gray lines

The genus contains the following species:[6][7]

References

  1. ^ Wagler, J. 1830. Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart, and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Genus Blanus, p. 197).
  2. S2CID 26071914
    .
  3. PMID 18077239
    .
  4. PMID 15306287
    .
  5. S2CID 129023376
    .
  6. ^ Blanus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 18 January 2014.
  7. ^ Blanus Wikispecies.

Media related to Blanus at Wikimedia Commons


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