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Home »» Lizards »» Scincidae (Skinks) »» Mole Skinks »» Bluetail Mole Skink (Plestiodon egregius lividus)


Bluetail Mole Skink (Plestiodon egregius lividus)Threatened





Description: The bluetail mole skink is a small, shiny, cylindrical lizard of a brownish color. Juveniles usually have a blue tail which makes up slightly more than half of the animal's total length. Regenerated tails and the tails of older individuals are typically pinkish. The legs are somewhat reduced in size and are used only during surface locomotion, not when the animal "swims" through the sand. During the breeding season, males develop a colorful orange pattern on their sides. The bluetail mole skink grows to 3.5 to 6 inches.


Habitat: It shares habitat with the sand skink, which is also endangered, but does not compete with it: whereas the sand skink feeds underground, the bluetail mole skink hunts on the surface


Range: It is found in central Florida. Map should also reflect Seminole and Orange counties. Also sighted in Brevard, Marion, and Pasco Counties.


Found in these States: FL


Diet: Like other mole skinks, it feeds primarily on cockroaches, spiders, and crickets.


Reproduction: Mole skinks reach sexual maturity after one year. They mate in winter; the female lays three to seven eggs in spring in a shallow nest cavity less than 12 inches below the surface. The eggs incubate for 31 to 51 days, during which time the female tends the nest.


Status: The bluetail mole skink is a federally threatened species.


Taxonomy:

»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
   »» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
     »» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
       »» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
         »» Order: Squamata - Lizards
           »» Family: Scincidae - Skinks
             »» Genus: Plestiodon
               »» Species: Plestiodon egregius - Mole Skink
                 »» Subspecies: Plestiodon egregius lividus - Bluetail Mole Skink

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Plestiodon egregius", 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.

 

 

 

 


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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.

 
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