Many-lined Skink
| Many-lined Skink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Plestiodon |
| Species: | P. multivirgatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Plestiodon multivirgatus Hallowell, 1857 | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Eumeces multivirgatus | |
The Many-lined Skink (Plestiodon multivirgatus) is a medium-sized member of the Plestiodon skinks, a kind of lizard, living in North America.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of this species is somewhat unclear, even amongst researchers. Most commonly, two subspecies are recognized:
- P.m. multivirgatus (Hallowell 1857), the Northern Many-lined Skink, and
- P.m. epipleurotus (Cope 1880), the Variable Skink.
The latter is sometimes treated as a separate species Plestiodon epipleurotus or Plestiodon gaigeae (Taylor 1935), or given as the subspecies P.m. gaigeae. These names are in honor of a Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige (1890–1976), a herpetologist from the University of Michigan.
P.m. epipleurotus is also called the Two-lined Skink.
Description
The Many-lined Skink is a medium-sized skink reaching a maximum length from snout to vent of about 7.5 cm (3 inches) and a total length of roughly 19 cm (about 7.5 in). Its body is olive to brown in color. P.m. multivirgatus has black stripes along the body and tail, while P.m. epipleurotus has two white stripes with black borders.
Range and habitat
The range of P. m. multivirgatus is limited in the north by southern South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming and extends in the south until the Arkansas River in Colorado. P.m. multivirgatus prefers sandy soil and occurs in habitat below 1675 m (5500 ft).
P. m. epipleurotus occurs from south-eastern Utah and southern Colorado through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas to Chihuahua in Mexico. It lives in rocky habitat up to elevations of 2600 m (8500 ft).
External links
- BISON fact sheet for P. m. epipleurotus