turtles lizards snakes
frogs
Reptiles of the United States  
  Home Email Site map
A Guide to the Reptiles &
Amphibians of the United States
Home snakes lizards Turtles turtles salamanders
Snakes of the U.S.
UDG-Banner (55K)
 



Four-Lined Skink Range Map






Four-Lined Skink Video

Want to Contribute a Video of a Four-Lined Skink?
Email Us



Four-Lined Skink Juvenile

Home »» Lizards »» Scincidae (Skinks) »» Four-Lined Skinks »» Four-Lined Skink (Plestiodon tetragrammus tetragrammus)


Four-Lined Skink (Plestiodon tetragrammus tetragrammusSpecies of Least Concern





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 Plestiodon, a blue tail; this color fades with age. Adults reach a maximum SVL (Snout-Vent-Length) of some about 3 inches, and a TL (total length) of about 7.1 inches.


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.


Range: Plestiodon tetragrammus occurs in northern Mexico and along the Mexican Gulf coast and in western and central Texas.


Found in these States: TX


Diet: Eats insects and spiders.


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. Eggs are laid from April through late spring or early summer; clutch size is about 5 to 12. Female attends eggs until hatching.


Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Lizards
           »» Family: Scincidae - Skinks
             »» Genus: Plestiodon
               »» Species: Plestiodon tetragrammus - Four-Lined Skink
                 »» Subspecies: Plestiodon tetragrammus tetragrammus - Four-Lined Skink

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Plestiodon tetragrammus", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.

 

 

 

 


Recommended Books at Amazon.com


Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and of Canada     Lizards of the World: A Guide to Every Family     Texas Lizards: A Field Guide     National Geographic Readers: Lizards



DISCLAIMER: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.

 

 
 

Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

 
Copyright © 2008 - Herpedia™.com