title: Turkish worm lizard
text: # 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.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  The specific name, strauchi, is in honor of Russian herpetologist Alexander Strauch.
  
  ## Geographic range
  
  B. strauchi is found in Greece, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.
  
  ## Habitat
  
  The preferred natural habitat of B. strauchi is shrubland, at altitudes from sea level to 1,400 m (4,600 ft).
  
  ## Reproduction
  
  B. strauchi is oviparous.
  
  ## 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.
  
  