''Plestiodon'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of lizards in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scincidae (skinks). The genus contains many

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 ...

formerly classified under the genus ''

Eumeces The genus ''Eumeces'' (family Scincidae) comprises four African to Middle-Eastern skink species. Systematics Recently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century genus ''Eumeces''. They both resulted in similar results; th ...

'', except those now placed in ''

Mesoscincus ''Mesoscincus'' is a genus of lizards, comprising three species of skinks native to Mexico and Central America. The species were formerly included in the genus ''Eumeces''. Species *''Mesoscincus altamirani'' – Tepalcatepec skink – Mexico * ...

''. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylindrical body covered with smooth, shiny scales. They are distributed from

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

to throughout North America from southern

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

south to

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 ...

, including oceanic islands such as

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

Defensive mechanism

The conspicuous coloring of species of ''Plestiodon'' is a survival trait: it attracts a predator's attention to the tail of the animal, which will break off when grabbed. A skink thus often manages to escape and hide under some rock, log, or fallen leaves while the predator still contemplates the wildly thrashing severed tail. (This is an instance of what is called

autotomy Autotomy (from the Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", αὐτοτομία) or self-amputation, is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude ...

: voluntarily shedding a body part in order to escape, and later re generating the body part.) After the tail regenerates, it usually has the same color as the rest of the body and is typically shorter than the original tail. In some species, regrown tails are pinkish. A regrown tail has a

cartilaginous Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck a ...

rod for support instead of

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristi ...

Reproduction

''Plestiodon'' are all oviparous. The female lays eggs once a year after the breeding season in spring. The clutch size varies and is typically around 5 to 10 eggs. The hatchlings appear in late summer.

Thermoregulation Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

Like other reptiles, ''Plestiodon'' skinks are "cold-blooded" — they are

ectotherm An ectotherm (from the Greek () "outside" and () "heat") is an organism in which internal physiological sources of heat are of relatively small or of quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature.Davenport, John. Animal Life ...

ic animals: their

metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run c ...

cannot regulate their

body temperature Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

. To warm up, they often bask in the sun. In colder climates, they hibernate in winter in burrows below the

frost line The frost line—also known as frost depth or freezing depth—is most commonly the depth to which the groundwater in soil is expected to freeze. The frost depth depends on the climatic conditions of an area, the heat transfer properties of the s ...

. In hot climates, they are active mainly in the morning and evening, staying under cover during the hottest hours of the day to avoid overheating.

Systematics

Recently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century

''. They both resulted in similar results; the

is paraphyletic and must be "sliced up" into several different genera. Griffith et al. (2000) proposed that the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

for ''Eumeces'', ''E. pavimentatus'', which is considered by many to be a subspecies of ''

Eumeces schneiderii ''Eumeces schneiderii'', commonly known as Schneider's skink or the Berber skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa. There are five recognized subspecies. Ety ...

'', should be changed to ''Lacerta fasciata'', so that the genus name ''Eumeces'' would stay with the most species-rich clade. However this petition has not been verified by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.

Schmitz Schmitz is a common German surname (''smith''), which may refer to: * Arnold Schmitz (1893–1980), German musicologist, Beethoven researcher * Bob Schmitz (1939–2004), American football player * Bruno Schmitz (1858–1916), German architect * ...

et al. argued that Griffith et al. violated the Code and rejected the proposal on good grounds. Thus only the African

of the ''

'' group still belong to the genus ''

''. Species that are now in ''Plestiodon'':. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Plestiodon anthracinus'' – coal skink *'' Plestiodon barbouri'' – Barbour's eyelid skink *'' Plestiodon bilineatus'' – two-lined short-nosed skink *'' Plestiodon brevirostris'' – short-nosed skink *'' Plestiodon callicephalus'' – mountain skink *'' Plestiodon capito'' – Gail's eyelid skink *'' Plestiodon chinensis'' –Chinese blue-tailed skink *'' Plestiodon colimensis'' – Colima skink *'' Plestiodon copei'' – Cope's skink *'' Plestiodon coreensis'' – Smith's skink *'' Plestiodon dicei'' – Dice's short-nosed skink *''

Plestiodon dugesii ''Plestiodon dugesii'', also known commonly as Dugès' skink, Duges's skink, and ''eslabon'' in Mexican Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. Etymology The specific name, ''dugesii'', is i ...

'' – Dugès's skink *'' Plestiodon egregius'' – mole skink *'' Plestiodon elegans'' – five-striped blue-tailed skink, Shanghai elegant skink *''

Plestiodon fasciatus The (American) five-lined skink (''Plestiodon fasciatus'') is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to North America. It is one of the most common lizards in the eastern U.S. and one of the seven native specie ...

'' – five-lined skink *'' Plestiodon finitimus'' – Far Eastern skink *'' Plestiodon gilberti'' – Gilbert's skink *'' Plestiodon indubitus'' – Mexican short-nosed skink *'' Plestiodon inexpectatus'' – southeastern five-lined skink *'' Plestiodon japonicus'' *'' Plestiodon kishinouyei'' – Kishinouye's giant skink *'' Plestiodon kuchinoshimensis'' *'' Plestiodon lagunensis'' – San Lucan skink *'' Plestiodon laticeps'' – broad-headed skink *'' Plestiodon latiscutatus'' – Far Eastern skink, Japanese five-lined skink *'' Plestiodon leucostictus'' – Chinese blue-tailed skink *'' Plestiodon liui'' – (Asia) *'' Plestiodon longirostris'' – Bermuda skink, longnose skink, Bermuda rock lizard *'' Plestiodon longiartus'' – (Guerrero, Mexico) *'' Plestiodon lotus'' *'' Plestiodon lynxe'' – oak forest skink *'' Plestiodon marginatus'' – Ousima skink, Okinawa blue-tailed skink *'' Plestiodon multilineatus'' – Chihuahuan skink *''

Plestiodon multivirgatus ''Plestiodon multivirgatus'', commonly known as the many-lined skink, the northern many-lined skink, or the variable skink, is a medium-sized species of lizard, a member of the North American skink genus '' Plestiodon'' in the family Scincida ...

'' – many-lined skink *'' Plestiodon nietoi'' *'' Plestiodon obsoletus'' – Great Plains skink *'' Plestiodon ochoterenae'' – Guerreran skink *'' Plestiodon oshimensis'' – Ousima skink *'' Plestiodon parviauriculatus'' – northern pygmy skink *'' Plestiodon parvulus'' – southern pygmy skink *'' Plestiodon popei'' – Pope's skink *'' Plestiodon quadrilineatus'' – Hong Kong skink, four-striped skink *'' Plestiodon reynoldsi'' – Florida sand skink *''

Plestiodon septentrionalis The prairie skink (''Plestiodon septentrionalis'') is a species of skink Endemism, endemic to the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is one of only seven species of lizards that occur in Lizards in Canada, Canada. Taxonomy ...

'' – prairie skink *'' Plestiodon skiltonianus'' – western skink *'' Plestiodon stimpsonii'' – Stimpson's skink *'' Plestiodon sumichrasti'' – Sumichrast's skink *'' Plestiodon takarai'' – Senkaku skink *'' Plestiodon tamdaoensis'' – Vietnam skink *'' Plestiodon tetragrammus'' – four-lined skink *'' Plestiodon tunganus'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Plestiodon''. Species that are now in ''

Eurylepis ''Eurylepis'' is a genus of skinks found in Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental land ...

'': *''Eumeces poonaensis'' – now ''

Eurylepis poonaensis ''Eurylepis poonaensis'', the Poona skink, is a species of skink found only in Maharashtra, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh ...

'' *''Eumeces taeniolatus'' – now ''

Eurylepis taeniolata ''Eurylepis taeniolata'', the ribbon-sided skink, alpine Punjab skink, or yellow-bellied mole skink, is a species of skink found in Central Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. It is the type species of the genus ''Eurylepis''. Description Diagno ...

'' Species that are now in ''

'': *''Eumeces altamirani'' – now ''

Mesoscincus altamirani The Tepalcatepec skink (''Mesoscincus altamirani'') is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. Etymology The specific name, ''altamirani'', is in honor of Federico Altamirano who collected the holotype. B ...

'' *''Eumeces managuae'' – now ''

Mesoscincus managuae The Managua skink (''Mesoscincus managuae'') is an extant species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is found in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central ...

'' *''Eumeces schwartzei'' – now ''

Mesoscincus schwartzei The Mayan black-headed skink or Schwartze's skink (''Mesoscincus schwartzei'') is an extant species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is found in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republi ...

''Plestiodon brevirostris'' group

The '' Plestiodon brevirostris'' group consists of 14 species. *'' Plestiodon bilineatus'', '' Plestiodon copei'', '' Plestiodon dicei'', ''

'', '' Plestiodon indubitus'', '' Plestiodon lynxe'', and '' Plestiodon parviauriculatus'' – highlands of the central

Mexican Plateau The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano ( es, Altiplanicie Mexicana), is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico. Averaging above sea level, it extends from the United States b ...

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American ...

, Sierra Madre Oriental, and

Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt ( es, Eje Volcánico Transversal), also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the (''Snowy Mountain Range''), is an active volcanic belt that covers central-southern Mexico. Several of its highest peaks h ...

*'' Plestiodon lotus'' – Balsas Basin *'' Plestiodon colimensis'' and '' Plestiodon parvulus'' – Pacific lowlands from northwestern Michoacán to Sonora *'' Plestiodon sumichrasti'' – the Atlantic versant from central

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

south and east through northern Guatemala and

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

to Honduras *'' Plestiodon brevirostris'' – Sierra Madre del Sur *'' Plestiodon nietoi'' and '' Plestiodon ochoterenae'' – Sierra Madre del Sur, in south-central

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...

and from central Guerrero to western

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

References

External links

''PLESTIODON'': A replacement name for most members of the genus ''EUMECES'' in North America, .pdf

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature
{{Taxonbar, from=Q772082 Plestiodon, Lizard genera Taxa named by André Marie Constant Duméril Taxa named by Gabriel Bibron