The four-lined skink (''Plestiodon tetragrammus'')''Plestiodon tetragrammus''
The Reptile Database is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

, which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It is a medium-sized member of the ''

Plestiodon ''Plestiodon'' is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae (skinks). The genus contains many species formerly classified under the genus ''Eumeces'', except those now placed in ''Mesoscincus''. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylindr ...

skink Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...

Taxonomy

At least two

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized, including the

nominotypical subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

: * Long-lined skink, ''P. t. tetragrammus''

Baird Baird may refer to: Places United States * Baird, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Baird, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Baird, Texas, a city * Baird, Washington, a community * Baird Mountains, Alaska * Baird Inlet, Alaska ...

, 1859 * Short-lined skink, ''P. t. brevilineatus'' ( Cope, 1880) Some herpetologists also consider the mountain skink (''Plestiodon callicephalus'') to be a subspecies of ''Plestiodon tetragrammus'' under the name ''P. t. callicephalus''. Others, however, prefer to treat the mountain skink as a distinct species because its range is geographically distinct and there are morphological differences.

Description

The two subspecies can be distinguished by their color and their stripes. The long-lined skink is gray to light brown in color and has light stripes from the eyes extending to beyond its forelegs, whereas the short-lined skink is darker in color and has stripes that end before the forelegs. Juveniles of both subspecies have — like many ''

'' — a blue tail; this color fades with age. Adults reach a maximum SVL (Snout-Vent-Length) of some 7.5 cm (about 3 inches), and a TL (total length) of about .

Geographic range

''Plestiodon tetragrammus'' occurs in northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and along the Mexican

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

coast and in western and central

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Habitat

Both subspecies live in lightly wooded areas, with the short-lined skink having a preference for rocky areas, whereas the long-lined skink is also found in grasslands.

Reproduction

The female lays about 5 to 12 eggs once a year, which she broods. Males develop orange (short-lined skink) to red (long-lined skink) coloration of the head during the breeding season.

References

* Baird, S.F. 1859. Descriptions of New Genera and Species of North American Lizards in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia "1858" ''10 253-256. ("''Plestiodon tetragrammus'', Baird", p. 256.) * Behler, J.L., and F.W. King. 1979. ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. Knopf. New York. 743 pp. . (''Eumeces tetragrammus'', pp. 577–578.) * Boulenger, G.A. 1887. ''Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, Gerrhosauridæ, Scincidæ,...'' Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers.) London. xii + 575 pp. + Plates I.- XL. (''Eumeces tetragrammus'', pp. 375–376.) * Conant, R. 1975. ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition''. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Eumeces tetragrammus'', pp. 125–126 + Plate 19 + Map 82.) * Cope, E.D. 1880. On the Zoological Position of Texas. Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. (17): 1-51. (''"Eumeces brevilineatus sp. nov."'', pp. 18–19.) * Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie Jr. 1982. ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. . (''Eumeces tetragrammus'', pp. 76–77.)

External links

Info on the range
(Note: the western range separated from the rest is actually the range of ''

Plestiodon callicephalus ''Plestiodon callicephalus'', commonly known as the mountain skink, is a species of lizard, a medium-sized member of the ''Plestiodon'' skinks, endemic to North America. Taxonomy At least one herpetologist has considered this species to be a su ...

''.) {{Taxonbar, from=Q2780936 Plestiodon Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles of the United States Reptiles described in 1859 Taxa named by Spencer Fullerton Baird