The Florida sand skink (''Plestiodon reynoldsi'') 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 ...

of lizard 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, the skinks. It 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 else ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in the United States.

Taxonomy and etymology

It was described as a new genus and new species by Leonhard Stejneger in 1910 and named in honor of a certain Mr. A.G. Reynolds of Gulfport, Florida, who had collected the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Neoseps reynoldsi'', p. 220).

Description

Neoseps reynoldsi (widely accepted as Plestiodon reynoldsi)

A unique lizard adapted to an underground existence, the Florida sand skink measures in total length and is a gray to tan color. Its forelegs are tiny and bear only one toe each; its hindlegs are small and have two toes. The tail comprises about half of the animal's total length. The sand skink has a wedge-shaped head, a partially countersunk lower jaw, body grooves into which the forelegs can be folded, and small eyes which have transparent windows in the lower lids. These features enable the lizard to move through loose sand.

Diet

The diet consists of surface-dwelling invertebrates, including

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blatto ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s, and the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of antlions and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

Reproduction

Florida sand skinks are most active in spring, during their mating season. They reach sexual maturity after one to two years and remain reproductively active for two to three years. About 55 days after mating, the female lays about two eggs, which hatch in June or July.

Geographic range

It only occurs in

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...

—115 known sites were recorded in 1999. The species is difficult to detect and may be found elsewhere during more intensive searches. It is present on the

Lake Wales Ridge The Lake Wales Ridge, sometimes referred to as the Mid-Florida Ridge,Eastern States Archaeological Federation. ''Archaeology of Eastern North America, Volume 11'', p. 54 is a sand ridge running for about 150 miles south to north in Central Florida. ...

, the Winter Haven Ridge in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

, and the Mount Dora Ridge.

Habitat

The Florida sand skink lives in areas vegetated with

sand pine ''Pinus clausa'' is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, Alabama pine, and scrub pine. Distribution The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central ...

– Florida rosemary scrub and the

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

– American turkey oak association, including

Florida scrub Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrub ...

habitat. Food supply and moisture levels are important factors in the species' tolerance of habitat. Florida sand skinks are most frequently found in the

ecotone An ecotone is a transition area between two biological communities, where two communities meet and integrate. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and gras ...

between Florida rosemary scrub and palmetto-pine

flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire and ...

where moisture is present beneath the surface litter and in the sand.

Behavior

It usually remains underground and burrows beneath the soil to find food.

Conservation status

The Florida sand skink was classified as a

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of '' critical depen ...

by the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

in 1987. As of 2016 it is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to ongoing

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

for the purpose of building developments, citrus plantations, phosphate mining, and wildfires.

References

External links

Comprehensive overview
with extensive literature list.

* Behler, J.L.; King, F.W. (1979). ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. . (''Neoseps reynoldsi'', p. 578 + Plate 450). * Conant, R. (1975). ''A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. (hardcover), (paperback). (''Neoseps reynoldsi'', p. 131 + Plate 19 + Map 83). * Goin, C.J.; Goin, O.B.; Zug, G.R. (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman and Company. 378 pp. . (''Neoseps'', pp. 301, 304). * Smith, H.M.; Brodie, E.D., Jr. (1982). ''Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification''. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. . (''Neoseps reynoldsi'', pp. 80–81). * Stejneger, L. (1910). "A new genus and species of Lizard from Florida". ''Proceedings of the United States National Museum'' 39: 33-35. (''Neoseps'', new genus, p. 33; ''Neoseps reynoldsi'', new species, pp. 34–35, Figures 1-6). *Sutton, P.E. (1996). ''A mark and recapture study of the Florida sand skink ''Neoseps reynoldsi'' and a comparison of sand skink sampling methods''. Master's thesis, University of South Florida;

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

. * Telford, S.R. (1959). "A study of the sand skink, ''Neoseps reynoldsi'' ". ''Copeia'' 1959 (2): 100-119. * Zim, H.S.; Smith, H.M. (1956). ''Reptiles and Amphibians: A Guide to Familiar American Species''. New York: Simon and Schuster. 160 pp. (''Neoseps reynoldsi'', pp. 64, 155). {{Taxonbar, from=Q12266073 Plestiodon Endemic fauna of Florida Reptiles of the United States Reptiles described in 1910 Taxa named by Leonhard Stejneger ESA threatened species