title: Blanus mariae
text: # Blanus mariae
  
  Maria's worm lizard (Blanus mariae) is an amphisbaenian species in the family Blanidae. The species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
  
  ## 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.
  
  ## Taxonomy
  
  Blanus mariae forms a cryptic species complex with Blanus cinereus.
  
  ## 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.
  
  ## 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.
  
  