Plestiodon chinensis, the Chinese blue-tailed skink, is a species of lizard which is found in China, western Taiwan, and northern Vietnam.[1][2]

Plestiodon chinensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Scincidae
Genus: Plestiodon
Species:
P. chinensis
Binomial name
Plestiodon chinensis
(JE Gray, 1838)
Synonyms[2]
  • Tiliqua chinensis Gray, 1838
  • Eumeces chinensis (Gray, 1838)

Entomology

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P. chinensis was named after the skink's home in China.[2]

 
Plestiodon chinensis formosensis (left) and Plestiodon leucostictus, formerly a subspecies of P. chinensis (right).[3]

Subspecies

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There are four subspecies (though not all with universal recognition[3]):[2]

  • Plestiodon chinensis chinensis (Gray, 1838) – China, Vietnam
  • Plestiodon chinensis daishanensis (Mao, 1983) – Zhoushan Islands, China
  • Plestiodon chinensis formosensis Van Denburgh, 1912 – Taiwan
  • Plestiodon chinensis pulcher Duméril & Bibron, 1839 – China

Plestiodon chinensis formosensis from eastern Taiwan were in 2017 found to be identical with Plestiodon chinensis leucostictus, now recognized as Plestiodon leucostictus.[3]

Description

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The Chinese blue-tailed skink has an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 13 cm, with a total length of 35 cm. It is large and stout, with a broad head and a pale white underside. As juveniles mature, their body undergoes a change in color from a dark brown with three light dorsal stripes and a blue tail to a fully mature brownish green, complete with reddish spots on the flanks. [2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Nguyen, T.Q.; Yang, J.; Shang, G. (2019). "Plestiodon chinensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T104764162A104853675. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T104764162A104853675.en. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e Plestiodon chinensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 3 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Kurita, Kazuki; Nakamura, Yukiko; Okamoto, Taku; Lin, Si-Min & Hikida, Tsutomu (2017). "Taxonomic reassessment of two subspecies of Chinese skink in Taiwan based on morphological and molecular investigations (Squamata, Scincidae)". ZooKeys. 687: 131–148. doi:10.3897/zookeys.687.12742. PMC 5672577.