| Plestiodon chinensis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Scinciformata |
| Infraorder: | Scincomorpha |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Plestiodon |
| Species: | P. chinensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Plestiodon chinensis (JE Gray, 1838) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Plestiodon chinensis, the Chinese blue-tailed skink, is a species of lizard which is found in China, western Taiwan, and northern Vietnam. [1] [2]
P. chinensis was named after the skink's home in China. [2]
There are four subspecies (though not all with universal recognition [3] ): [2]
Plestiodon chinensis formosensis from eastern Taiwan were in 2017 found to be identical with Plestiodon chinensis leucostictus, now recognized as Plestiodon leucostictus . [3]
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]
