The Moroccan worm lizard (Blanus mettetali) is a species of amphisbaenian in the family Blanidae. The species is endemic to Morocco. (Blanus mettetali, new taxonomic status).
Etymology The specific name, mettetali, is in honor of a Mr. Mettetal who was head of the Laboratory of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences of Morocco.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. xiii + 296 pp. . (Blanus mettetali, p. 177).
Description Blanus mettetali has eight or more preanal pores, which are usually arranged in a continuous transverse series.
Habitat The natural habitats of Blanus mettetali are temperate forests, temperate shrubland, Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, arable land, and pastureland, at elevations up to .
Behavior Blanus mettetali is terrestrial, sheltering in sandy soil and under stones.
Reproduction Blanus mettetali is oviparous. Clutch size is one egg.
Conservation status Blanus mettetali is threatened by habitat loss.
References
Further reading Bons, Jacques (1963). "Notes sur Blanus cinereus (Vandelli), description d'une sous-espèce Marocaine: Blanus cinereus mettetali ssp. nov." Bulletin de la Société des Sciences naturelles et physiques du Maroc (1-2): 95–107. (Blanus cinereus mettetali, new suspecies). (in French). 630 pp. (Blanus mettetali, p. 468). 580 pp.
Phylogeographical patterns