Plestiodon is a genus of lizards in the familyScincidae (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 cylindrical body covered with smooth, shiny scales. They are distributed from East Asia to throughout North America from southern Canada south to Mexico, including oceanic islands such as Bermuda.
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: 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 rod for support instead of vertebrae.
ReproductionEdit
Plestiodon are all[citation needed]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.
Like other reptiles, Plestiodon skinks are "cold-blooded" — they are ectothermic animals: their metabolism cannot regulate their body temperature. To warm up, they often bask in the sun. In colder climates, they hibernate in winter in burrows below the frost line. 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.
SystematicsEdit
Recently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century genusEumeces. They both resulted in similar results; the genus is paraphyletic and must be "sliced up" into several different genera. Griffith et al. (2000) proposed that the type species for Eumeces, E. pavimentatus, which is considered by many to be a subspecies of Eumeces schneiderii, 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 et al. argued that Griffith et al. violated the Code and rejected the proposal on good grounds. Thus only the African species of the Eumeces schneiderii group still belong to the genus Eumeces.
^Genus Plestiodon at The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^ abGarcía-Vázquez, Uri O.; Pavón-Vázquez, Carlos J.; Feria-Ortiz, Manuel; Nieto Montes de Oca, Adrián (2021). "A New Species of Blue-Tailed Skink (Scincidae: Plestiodon) from the Sierra Madre del Sur, Mexico". Herpetologica. 77 (1). doi:10.1655/0018-0831-77.1.85. ISSN 0018-0831. S2CID 232326866.
Further readingEdit
Austin JJ, Arnold EN (2006). "Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Mascarene islands". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution39 (2): 503–511. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.011 (HTML abstract).
Griffith H, Ngo A, Murphy RW (2000). "A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces Wiegmann (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae)". Russian Journal of Herpetology7 (1): 1–16. [1]
Schmitz, Andreas; Mausfeld, Patrick; Embert, Dirk (2004). "Molecular studies on the genus Eumeces Wiegmann, 1834: phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic implications". Hamadryad28 (1-2): 73–89. [2][3]
Smith HM (2005). "Plestiodon: a Replacement Name for Most Members of the Genus Eumeces in North America". Journal of Kansas Herpetology (14): 15–16. [4]
Brandley MC, Schmitz A, Reeder TW (2005). "Partitioned Bayesian analyses, partition choice, and the phylogenetic relationships of Scincid lizards". Systematic Biology54 (3): 373–390. [5]
Okamoto, Taku; Motokawa, Junko; Toda, Mamoru; Hikida, Tsutomu (2006). "Parapatric distribution of the lizards, Plestiodon (formerly Eumeces) latiscutatus and P. japonicus (Reptilia: Scincidae) around the Izu Peninsula, central Japan, and its biogeographic implications". Zoological Science23: 419–425.
Motokawa, Junko; Hikida, Tsutomu (2003). "Genetic variation and differentiation in the Japanese five-lined skink, Eumeces latiscutatus (Reptile: Squamata)". Zoological Science20: 97–106.
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plestiodon.
Wikispecies has information related to Plestiodon.
October 21, 2023
plestiodon, genus, lizards, family, scincidae, skinks, genus, contains, many, species, formerly, classified, under, genus, eumeces, except, those, placed, mesoscincus, they, secretive, agile, animals, with, cylindrical, body, covered, with, smooth, shiny, scal. 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 cylindrical body covered with smooth shiny scales They are distributed from East Asia to throughout North America from southern Canada south to Mexico including oceanic islands such as Bermuda PlestiodonPlestiodon fasciatusScientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass ReptiliaOrder SquamataFamily ScincidaeSubfamily ScincinaeGenus PlestiodonA M C Dumeril amp Bibron 1839 Contents 1 Defensive mechanism 2 Reproduction 3 Thermoregulation 4 Systematics 4 1 Plestiodon brevirostris group 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksDefensive mechanism EditThe 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 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 rod for support instead of vertebrae Reproduction EditPlestiodon are all citation needed 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 EditLike other reptiles Plestiodon skinks are cold blooded they are ectothermic animals their metabolism cannot regulate their body temperature To warm up they often bask in the sun In colder climates they hibernate in winter in burrows below the frost line 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 EditRecently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century genus Eumeces They both resulted in similar results the genus is paraphyletic and must be sliced up into several different genera Griffith et al 2000 proposed that the type species for Eumeces E pavimentatus which is considered by many to be a subspecies of Eumeces schneiderii 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 et al argued that Griffith et al violated the Code and rejected the proposal on good grounds Thus only the African species of the Eumeces schneiderii group still belong to the genus Eumeces Species that are now in Plestiodon 1 Plestiodon anthracinus Baird 1849 coal skink Plestiodon barbouri Van Denburgh 1912 Barbour s eyelid skink Plestiodon bilineatus W Tanner 1958 two lined short nosed skink Plestiodon brevirostris Gunther 1860 short nosed skink Plestiodon callicephalus Bocourt 1879 mountain skink Plestiodon capito Bocourt 1879 Gail s eyelid skink Plestiodon chinensis Gray 1838 Chinese blue tailed skink Plestiodon colimensis Taylor 1935 Colima skink Plestiodon copei Taylor 1933 Cope s skink Plestiodon coreensis Doi amp Kamita 1937 Smith s skink Plestiodon dicei Ruthven amp Gaige 1933 Dice s short nosed skink Plestiodon dugesii Thominot 1883 Duges s skink Plestiodon egregius Baird 1858 mole skink Plestiodon elegans Boulenger 1887 five striped blue tailed skink Shanghai elegant skink Plestiodon fasciatus Linnaeus 1758 five lined skink Plestiodon finitimus Okamoto amp Hikida 2012 Far Eastern skink Plestiodon gilberti Van Denburgh 1896 Gilbert s skink Plestiodon indubitus Taylor 1933 Mexican short nosed skink Plestiodon inexpectatus Taylor 1932 southeastern five lined skink Plestiodon japonicus W Peters 1864 Plestiodon kishinouyei Stejneger 1901 Kishinouye s giant skink Plestiodon kuchinoshimensis Kurita amp Hikida 2014 Plestiodon lagunensis Van Denburgh 1895 San Lucan skink Plestiodon laticeps Schneider 1801 broad headed skink Plestiodon latiscutatus Hallowell 1861 Far Eastern skink Japanese five lined skink Plestiodon leucostictus Hikida 1988 Chinese blue tailed skink Plestiodon liui Hikida amp Zhao 1989 Plestiodon longiartus Garcia Vazquez Pavon Vazquez Feria Ortiz amp Nieto Montes de Oca 2021 2 Plestiodon longirostris Cope 1861 Bermuda rock lizard Bermuda skink longnose skink Plestiodon lotus Pavon Vazquez et al 2017 Plestiodon lynxe Wiegmann 1834 oak forest skink Plestiodon marginatus Hallowell 1861 Okinawa blue tailed skink Ousima skink Plestiodon multilineatus W Tanner 1957 Chihuahuan skink Plestiodon multivirgatus Hallowell 1857 many lined skink Plestiodon nietoi Feria Ortiz amp Garcia Vazquez 2012 Plestiodon obsoletus Baird amp Girard 1852 Great Plains skink Plestiodon ochoterenae Taylor 1933 Guerreran skink Plestiodon oshimensis Thompson 1912 Ousima skink Plestiodon parviauriculatus Taylor 1933 northern pygmy skink Plestiodon parvulus Taylor 1933 southern pygmy skink Plestiodon popei Hikida 1989 Pope s skink Plestiodon quadrilineatus Blyth 1853 four striped skink Hong Kong skink Plestiodon reynoldsi Stejneger 1910 Florida sand skink Plestiodon septentrionalis Baird 1858 prairie skink Plestiodon skiltonianus Baird amp Girard 1852 western skink Plestiodon stimpsonii Thompson 1912 Stimpson s skink Plestiodon sumichrasti Cope 1867 Sumichrast s skink Plestiodon takarai Kurita Ota amp Hikida 2017 Senkaku skink Plestiodon tamdaoensis Bourret 1937 Vietnam skink Plestiodon tetragrammus Baird 1859 four lined skink Plestiodon tunganus Stejneger 1924 Nota bene A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Plestiodon Species that are now in Eurylepis Eumeces poonaensis now Eurylepis poonaensis Eumeces taeniolatus now Eurylepis taeniolataSpecies that are now in Mesoscincus Eumeces altamirani now Mesoscincus altamirani Eumeces managuae now Mesoscincus managuae Eumeces schwartzei now Mesoscincus schwartzeiPlestiodon brevirostris group Edit The Plestiodon brevirostris group consists of 14 species 2 Plestiodon bilineatus Plestiodon copei Plestiodon dicei Plestiodon dugesii Plestiodon indubitus Plestiodon lynxe and Plestiodon parviauriculatus highlands of the central Mexican Plateau Sierra Madre Occidental Sierra Madre Oriental and Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt Plestiodon lotus Balsas Basin Plestiodon colimensis and Plestiodon parvulus Pacific lowlands from northwestern Michoacan to Sonora Plestiodon sumichrasti the Atlantic versant from central Veracruz south and east through northern Guatemala and Belize to Honduras Plestiodon brevirostris Sierra Madre del Sur Plestiodon nietoi and Plestiodon ochoterenae Sierra Madre del Sur in south central Guerrero and from central Guerrero to western OaxacaReferences Edit Genus Plestiodon at The Reptile Database www reptile database org a b Garcia Vazquez Uri O Pavon Vazquez Carlos J Feria Ortiz Manuel Nieto Montes de Oca Adrian 2021 A New Species of Blue Tailed Skink Scincidae Plestiodon from the Sierra Madre del Sur Mexico Herpetologica 77 1 doi 10 1655 0018 0831 77 1 85 ISSN 0018 0831 S2CID 232326866 Further reading EditAustin JJ Arnold EN 2006 Using ancient and recent DNA to explore relationships of extinct and endangered Leiolopisma skinks Reptilia Scincidae in the Mascarene islands Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 39 2 503 511 doi 10 1016 j ympev 2005 12 011 HTML abstract Griffith H Ngo A Murphy RW 2000 A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus Eumeces Wiegmann Reptilia Squamata Scincidae Russian Journal of Herpetology 7 1 1 16 1 Schmitz Andreas Mausfeld Patrick Embert Dirk 2004 Molecular studies on the genus Eumeces Wiegmann 1834 phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic implications Hamadryad 28 1 2 73 89 2 3 Smith HM 2005 Plestiodon a Replacement Name for Most Members of the Genus Eumeces in North America Journal of Kansas Herpetology 14 15 16 4 Brandley MC Schmitz A Reeder TW 2005 Partitioned Bayesian analyses partition choice and the phylogenetic relationships of Scincid lizards Systematic Biology 54 3 373 390 5 Okamoto Taku Motokawa Junko Toda Mamoru Hikida Tsutomu 2006 Parapatric distribution of the lizards Plestiodon formerly Eumeces latiscutatus and P japonicus Reptilia Scincidae around the Izu Peninsula central Japan and its biogeographic implications Zoological Science 23 419 425 Motokawa Junko Hikida Tsutomu 2003 Genetic variation and differentiation in the Japanese five lined skink Eumeces latiscutatus Reptile Squamata Zoological Science 20 97 106 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plestiodon nbsp Wikispecies has information related to Plestiodon PLESTIODON A replacement name for most members of the genus EUMECES in North America pdf International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Plestiodon amp oldid 1167378202, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
