''Blanus alexandri'', called Alexander's worm-lizard, is an

amphisbaenia Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of typically legless lizards, comprising over 200 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. A ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Blanidae ''Blanus'', also known as ''worm lizards'', are a genus of amphisbaenians found in the Mediterranean region of Europe and North Africa. Like other amphisbaenians, ''Blanus'' species are specialized for a subterranean existence, with long, slend ...

. It is endemic in

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

Hatay Hatay Province (, ) is the southernmost Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. Its area is , and its population is 1,686,043 (2022). It is situated mostly outside Anatolia, ...

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

, and

Şırnak Şırnak () is a city in Şırnak District and the capital of Şırnak Province in Turkey. The Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Iraq is one of the main links of Turkey to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is mainly populated by Kurds o ...

provinces of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was formerly considered a subspecies of ''

Blanus strauchi 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. Etymology The specific name, ''strauchi'', is ...

''.Sindaco, Kornilios, Sacchi & Lymberakis, 2014: Taxonomic reassessment of Blanus strauchi (Bedriaga, 1884) (Squamata: Amphisbaenia: Blanidae), with the description of a new species from south-east Anatolia (Turkey). ''Zootaxa'', no 3795 (3), p. 311–326 It is named in honour of A. Allan Alexander, who studied the species.

References

alexandri Reptiles described in 2014 Taxa named by Roberto Sindaco Taxa named by Panagiotis Kornilios Taxa named by Roberto Sacchi Taxa named by Petros Lymberakis Reptiles of Turkey Endemic fauna of Turkey {{Amphisbaenidae-stub