Other common names for P. fasciatus include blue-tailed skink (for juveniles) and red-headed skink (for adults). It is technically appropriate to call it the American five-lined skink to distinguish it from the African skink Trachylepis quinquetaeniata (otherwise known as five-lined mabuya) or the eastern red-headed skink to distinguish it from its western relative Plestiodon skiltonianus (otherwise known as the western skink). The blue-tailed skink proper is Cryptoblepharus egeriae from Christmas Island, but in North America the juveniles of any Eumeces or Plestiodon species may be called this.
Description
The American five-lined skink is small to medium-sized, growing to about 12.5 to 21.5 centimetres (4.9 to 8.5in) total length (including tail). Young American five-lined skinks are dark brown to black with five distinctive white to yellowish stripes running along the body and a bright blue tail. The blue color fades to light blue with age, and the stripes also may slowly disappear. Females however, are more likely to retain the blue tail color as they age.[5] The dark brown color fades, too, and older individuals are often uniformly brownish. The southeastern five-lined skink, P. inexpectatus, of the Southeastern United States is very similar to this species and there is some overlap in range. The two species can be distinguished by their scales.[6] The broad-headed skink, P. laticeps, is similar, and may be difficult to distinguish from P. fasciatus. The former species usually lacks the two enlarged postlabial scales characteristic of P. fasciatus.[7] Adult male broad-headed skinks, with their large size and swollen red head, are readily distinguished from P. fasciatus.[8] Research suggests that are sexually dimorphic in terms of size. The males are often larger than the females, but this depends on the area they live.[9] Their claws are short and curved downward; they make a right angle at the axis of each toe.[10]
Geographic range
Subadult with partly regrown tail pictured in parkland in Memphis, Tennessee
The range of the American five-lined skink extends in the north to southern Ontario, Michigan and eastern New York. The western border is in Minnesota, Missouri and eastern Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. P. fasciatus tends to be most abundant on the coastal plain in the southeastern United States and along the Gulf Coast. It has now been seen in increasing numbers in the northern Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland particularly along the shores of the Elk River, and northern Virginia.It has also been seen in northern South America, such as Colombia.[citation needed]
Habitat
The American five-lined skink is a ground-dwelling animal. It prefers moist, hardwood areas with a permanent water source such as rivers or streams, as well as sites to bask in the sun.[11] It can also be found in broken, rocky areas at the northern edge of its habitat. Within the northern edge of its habitat, it was found that they prefer areas with longer than average rock cover in areas with few trees.[12] While little is known about any hibernation patterns, P.fasciatus is rarely seen throughout winter and the surrounding months. It is assumed by scientists that they are sheltered and dormant under rocks, logs, or leaves provided by the hardwood areas it inhabits.[13] They are resistant to minor disturbances, but can be affected by the removal of woody debris in their northern habitats.[14]
Reproduction
Fertilization in the American five-lined skink is internal, with eggs laid by the female between the middle of May and July, at least one month after mating. Males will mate with multiple females. The mating season begins in May. The female Plestiodon will lay its eggs in June, and four to six weeks after the incubation, the young hatch. Thus the birthing process consists of laying eggs and external incubation.[15] Fertilization occur shortly after copulation, unlike many other lizard species Plestiodon fasciatus females are unable to store sperm between successive clutches.[16] One study found that most clutches had multiple sires, but within those clutches, there was unequal sharing of paternity.[17]
Females lay fifteen to eighteen eggs in a small cavity cleared beneath a rotting log, stump, board, loose bark, a rock, or an abandoned rodent burrow.[18] Females prefer secluded nest sites in large, moderately decayed logs. Soil moisture is also an important factor in nest selection. Females often place nests in regions where soil moisture is higher than in adjacent areas. Vertical position of the nest also varies with moisture, with nests located deeper in a soil cavity at dry sites. Even when nesting sites are not limited, a significant amount of aggregation occurs.
The parchment-like eggs of the American five-lined skink, similar to many other reptiles, are thin and easily punctured. Freshly laid eggs range from spherical to oval in shape averaging 1.3cm (0.51in) in length. Absorption of water from the soil leads to increased egg size. Egg coloration also changes over time, from white to mottled tan, after contact with the nest burrow. The incubation period ranges from 24 to 55 days, and varies due to fluctuations in temperature. Females typically brood their eggs during this time, exhibiting defensive behavior against smaller predators. Parental care ends a day or two after hatching when hatchlings leave the nest. Young American five-lined skinks, with a potential life span of up to six years, attain sexual maturity and begin reproducing within two to three years of hatching.[19]
Behavior
Closeup of face
Adult male American five-lined skinks exhibit complex courtship and aggressive behavior. Although males tolerate juveniles and females in their territories, they actively defend these areas against other males. It has been proposed that one of the functions of their blue tails is intraspecific communication with the purpose of preventing attacks by more aggressive males because the blue tail signifies that they are juveniles or females.[20] Vomeronasal analysis of chemical cues and recognition of sex-specific visual stimuli, including tail and body coloration, aid in the identification of sex. Evidence suggests that males may rely more on contact pheromones than volatile airborne molecules in the identification of conspecifics. Courting males grasp the necks of receptive females in their jaws after approaching them from the side. Using the tail to align cloacal openings, males initiate copulation by inserting one of the two hemipenes into the female's cloaca. Copulation events typically last four to eight minutes.
Female American five-lined skinks demonstrate high levels of parental care which reduces egg mortality. Females exhibit several brooding positions of variant contact levels with the body placed beside, over, through, or in a coil around the eggs. Brooding position varies according to soil moisture. Maternal body contact increases at lower moisture levels potentially reducing the transpirational loss of the eggs. In communal nests, females may alternate foraging and guarding of the nests, leaving eggs protected at all times. Females may also urinate in the nests and turn eggs to maintain humidity. In addition, females transfer heat from basking through body contact. Any eggs displaced from the nest are retrieved by head or snout rolling, and rotten eggs are eaten.
American five-lined skinks also exhibit antipredation behavior. In evasion of various predators including snakes, crows, hawks, shrews, moles, opossums, skunks, raccoons, and domestic cats, skinks may disconnect their entire tail or a small segment. It is thought that the bright blue color attracts predators to the expendable tail.[21] Skinks run to shelter to escape their death as the disconnected tail continues to twitch. Skinks may also utilize biting as a defensive strategy.[19]
Diet
The common five-lined skink's diet consists primarily of a variety of arthropods, particularly spiders, crickets, beetles and other insects. However, they have been reported to also eat newborn mice, frogs, and other lizards. Wild skinks will make short forays into heavily used core areas to find food.[22]Those who own a pet skink are advised to supplement the skink's diet with fruits and vegetables. In addition to eating insects, skinks enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits that skinks enjoy include blueberries, mangos, raspberries, papayas, cantaloupes, strawberries, and figs.[23] Studies have indicated that the majority of the five-lined skink's diet is mostly invertebrates, which for some of the many prey species the effect is negligible, but because of its voracious diet, its predation may be a major ecological factor.[24]
Conservation status
The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence population of P. fasciatus is listed as "special concern" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO[25] and COSEWIC.[26] It is illegal to remove any of the three species of skinks found in Canada from their habitats. Skinks are at the extreme edge of their habitat range in Canada, which makes it an area of special interest to ecologists, as extreme conditions place unique evolutionary pressures upon species. The American five-lined skink has split into two phylogenetically-distinct populations in this edge habitat; the Carolinian population, also present in the United States, ends around Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario. The Carolinian population is listed as "endangered" in Ontario and Canada by COSSARO,[25] COSEWIC,[26] The St. Lawrence / Great Lakes population resides in the Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario and tends to be more tolerant to sparse or rocky conditions than its sister subspecies.[27]
Captive care
American five-lined skinks can be maintained in captivity with minimal care.[citation needed] Some U.S. states impose general restrictions on taking reptiles including native American five-lined skinks from the wild without a permit or hunting license, for example Maryland (no more than 4 may be possessed without a permit),[28] Indiana[29] and Ohio.[30]
A pair of skinks may live in a 25-30 US gallon terrarium, and may live for 5–10 years with adequate care.[31][32]
Photo gallery
Clutch of eggs hatching
Part of the tail regrowing
Female or sub-adult male, dorsal view
Head, showing two enlarged postlabial scales, diagnostic for this species compared to P. laticeps, see Georgia wildlife and Palmer et al. (1995)
View of the tail
Juvenile with a still vivid blue tail
Juvenile on the side of a man-made structure
Related Research Articles
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Skinks are characterized by their smaller legs in comparison to typical lizards and are found in different habitats except arctic and subarctic regions.
The Florida sand skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae, the skinks. It is endemic to Florida in the United States.
Plestiodon egregius, the mole skink, is a species of small lizard endemic to the Southeastern United States.
The western skink is a species of small, smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs. It measures about 100 to 210 mm in total length. It is one of seven species of lizards in Canada. They spend much of their day basking in the sun. Their diet ranges widely, including spiders and beetles. Western skinks will bite if grasped and will flee if they feel threatened. It is a common but secretive species whose range extends from southern British Columbia and throughout Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming and into western Montana and northern Arizona and Missouri. They can also live in some areas of Texas It is widespread in northern California but primarily restricted to the coast in central and southern California. Found in a variety of habitats, this lizard is most common in early successional stages or open areas of late successional stages. Heavy brush and densely forested areas are generally avoided. Western skinks are found from sea level to at least 2,130 m (7,000 ft). This diurnal reptile is active during the warm seasons.
Plestiodon anthracinus, the coal skink, is a species of lizard which is endemic to the United States.
The broad-headed skink or broadhead skink is species of lizard, endemic to the southeastern United States. The broadhead skink occurs in sympatry with the five-lined skink and Southeastern five-lined skink in forest of the Southeastern United States. All three species are phenotypically similar throughout much of their development and were considered a single species prior to the mid-1930s.
Plestiodon gilberti, commonly known as Gilbert's skink, is a species of heavy-bodied medium-sized lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, and grows to about 7 to 12 cm in total length.
The Great Plains skink is a species of lizard endemic to North America.
The prairie skink is a species of skink endemic to the prairies east of the Rocky Mountains in North America. It is one of only seven species of lizards that occur in Canada.
Plestiodon inexpectatus, the southeastern five-lined skink is a common skink in the southeastern United States.
The four-lined skink is a species of lizard, which is endemic to North America. It is a medium-sized member of the Plestiodon skinks.
Plestiodon callicephalus, commonly known as the mountain skink, is a species of lizard, a medium-sized member of the Plestiodon skinks, endemic to North America.
Plestiodon multivirgatus, commonly known as the many-lined skink, the northern many-lined skink, or the variable skink, is a medium-sized species of lizard, a member of the North American skink genus Plestiodon in the family Scincidae. The species is native to the western United States.
The Bermuda skink, longnose skink, or (Bermuda) rock lizard is a critically endangered species and the only endemic land-living vertebrate of Bermuda. It is a relatively small skink : adults reach an average snout-to-vent length of about 8 cm (3.1 in).
Scincella lateralis, formerly Lygosoma laterale is a small species of skink found throughout much of the eastern half of the United States, and into northern Mexico. The ground skink differs from the majority of North American lizard species in that it is generally considered a forest dweller. Common names for this species include the little brown skink and the ground skink. However, the common name, ground skink, may refer to any species in the genus Scincella.
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.
The African five-lined skink, or rainbow mabuya, is a north-central African species of skink lizard.
Plestiodon barbouri, also known commonly as Barbour's blue-tailed skink and Barbour's eyelid skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands (Japan).
Plestiodon japonicus is a species of lizard which is endemic to Japan. The IUCN lists the species as least concern.
The Okada's five-lined skink or Far Eastern skink is a species of lizard which is endemic to Japan.
1 2 Stejneger, L., and T. Barbour (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Plestiodon fasciatus, p. 69).
↑ Boulenger, G.A. (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. Lacertidæ, Gerrhosauridæ, Scincidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I-XL. (Eumeces quinquelineatus, pp. 369-370).
↑ Breen, John F. (1992). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Hong Kong: T.F.H. Publications.
↑ Palmer, William M., Alvin L. Braswell, Renaldo Kuhler (1995). Reptiles of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN0-8078-2158-6.
↑ Beane, Jeff (2006). "Love Skinks". Wildlife in North Carolina70: 14-19. ISSN 0043-549X.
↑ Clark, D. R., & Hall, R. J. (1970). Function of the Blue Tail-Coloration of the Five-Lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus). Herpetologica, 26(2), 271–274.
↑ Hecnar, S. J., & M.’Closkey, R. T. (1998). Effects of human disturbance on five-lined skink, Eumeces fasciatus, abundance and distribution. Biological Conservation, 85(3), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00014-7
↑ Quirt, Kate C.; Blouin-Demers, Gabriel; Howes, Briar J.; Lougheed, Stephen C. (2006). "Microhabitat Selection of Five-lined Skinks in Northern Peripheral Populations". Journal of Herpetology. 40 (3): 335–342. doi:10.1670/0022-1511(2006)40[335:MSOFSI]2.0.CO;2. S2CID85677729.
Behler, J.L., and F.W. King (1979). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 743 pp. ISBN0-394-50824-6. (Eumeces fasciatus, pp.570–571 + Plates 427, 437, 443).
Conant, R. (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. + Plates 1-48. ISBN0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Eumeces fasciatus, pp.122–123, Figure 26 + Plate 19 + Map 75).
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio Decima, Reformata. Stockholm: L. Salvius. 824 pp. (Lacerta fasciatus, new species, p.209). (in Latin).
Martof, Bernard S., et al. (1980). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN0-8078-4252-4.
Powell, R., R. Conant and J.T. Collins (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 plates, 207 figures. ISBN978-0-544-12997-9. (Plestiodon fasciatus, pp.307–308 + Plate 29 + Figures 113, 147, 148 + photo on p.493).
Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. (1982). Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. New York: Golden Press. 240 pp. ISBN0-307-13666-3. (Eumeces fasciatus, pp.76–77).
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