Psammodromus blanci

Blanc's sand racer
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Lacertoidea
Family:	Lacertidae
Genus:	Psammodromus
Species:	P. blanci
Binomial name
Psammodromus blanci (Lataste, 1880)
Synonyms [2]
Zerzoumia blanci Lataste, 1880 Psammodromus blanci — Boulenger, 1887

Psammodromus blanci, also known commonly as Blanc's sand racer or Blanc's psammodromus, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to North Africa. ^[1]

Etymology

It has been claimed that the specific name, blanci, and the common name, Blanc's sand racer, are in honor of Swiss zoologist Henri Blanc, ^[3] however it is in fact named after its Algerian discoverer Marius Blanc. ^[4]

Geographic range

P. blanci is found in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. ^[1]

Habitat

The natural habitats of Blanc's sand racer are temperate forest, temperate shrubland, and pastureland, at altitudes of 1,000–1,200 m (3,300–3,900 ft). ^[1]

Reproduction

P. blanci is oviparous. ^[2] A sexually mature female may lay four or five clutches a year. Each clutch contains two to five eggs. ^[1]

Conservation status

P. blanci is threatened by habitat loss. ^[1]

References

1. Beddek, M.; Martínez del Mármol, G.; Jiménez, O.; Harris, J. (2025). "Psammodromus blanci". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2025 e.T61559A137856613. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
2. Psammodromus blanci at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
3. Beolens B; Watkins, M.; Grayson, M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 27. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5.
4. Lataste, F. (1880). "Diagnoses de reptilies nouveaux d'Algerie". Le Naturaliste. 2 (38): 299.

Further reading

• Bischoff W, in den Bosch HAJ (1991). "Zur Kenntnis von Psammodromus blanci (Lataste, 1880): Morphologie, Verbreitung, Ökologie und Paarunsbiologie". Salamandra27 (3): 163–180. (in German, with an abstract in English).
• Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Psammodromus blanci, pp. 48–49).
• Lataste F (1880). "Diagnoses de reptiles nouveaux d'Algérie". Le Naturaliste1: 299, 306–307, 325. (Zerzoumia blanci, new species, p. 299). (in French).