Turkish worm lizard

The Turkish worm lizard (Blanus strauchi) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Blanidae. The species is native to Southeast Europe and the Middle East. There are two recognized subspecies.

Turkish worm lizard
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Clade:	Amphisbaenia
Family:	Blanidae
Genus:	Blanus
Species:	B. strauchi
Binomial name
Blanus strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884)
Synonyms[2]
Amphisbaena strauchi Bedriaga, 1884 Blanus strauchi — Engelmann et al., 1993

Etymology

The specific name, strauchi, is in honor of Russian herpetologist Alexander Strauch.^[3]

Geographic range

B. strauchi is found in Greece, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of B. strauchi is shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 1,400 m (4,600 ft).^[1]

Reproduction

B. strauchi is oviparous.^[2]

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.

• Blanus strauchi bedriagae Boulenger, 1884
• Blanus strauchi strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Blanus.