pavimentatus, which is considered by many to be a subspecies of Eumeces schneiderii, should be changed to Lacerta fasciata, so that the genus name Eumeces would stay with the most species-rich clade. (2000) proposed that the type species for Eumeces, E. They both resulted in similar results the genus is paraphyletic and must be "sliced up" into several different genera. Recently two taxonomic revisions have been made regarding the 19th century genus Eumeces. In hot climates, they are active mainly in the morning and evening, staying under cover during the hottest hours of the day to avoid overheating. In colder climates, they hibernate in winter in burrows below the frost line. Like other reptiles, Plestiodon skinks are "cold-blooded" - they are ectothermic animals: their metabolism cannot regulate their body temperature. The clutch size varies and is typically around 5 to 10 eggs. The female lays eggs once a year after the breeding season in spring. A regrown tail has a cartilaginous rod for support instead of vertebrae. In some species, regrown tails are pinkish. (This is an instance of what is called autotomy: voluntarily shedding a body part in order to escape, and later re generating the body part.) After the tail regenerates, it usually has the same color as the rest of the body and is typically shorter than the original tail. A skink thus often manages to escape and hide under some rock, log, or fallen leaves while the predator still contemplates the wildly thrashing severed tail. The conspicuous coloring of species of Plestiodon is a survival trait: it attracts a predator's attention to the tail of the animal, which will break off when grabbed. They are distributed from East Asia to throughout North America from southern Canada south to Mexico, including oceanic islands such as Bermuda. They are secretive, agile animals with a cylindrical body covered with smooth, shiny scales. The genus contains many species formerly classified under the genus Eumeces, except those now placed in Mesoscincus. Plestiodon is a genus of lizards in the family Scincidae (skinks). A new species of Plestiodon (Squamata: Scincidae) from the Senkaku Group, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Taxonomic reassessment of two subspecies of Chinese skink in Taiwan based on morphological and molecular investigations (Squamata, Scincidae). Kurita, K., Nakamura, Y., Okamoto, T., Lin, S-M. A new cryptic species allied to Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864) (Squamata: Scincidae) from eastern Japan, and diagnoses of the new species and two parapatric congeners based on morphology and DNA barcode. A new species of Plestiodon (Squamata: Scincidae) from Sierra Madre del Sur of Guerrero, México. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret: Paris. Erpétologie Générale on Histoire Naturelle Complète des Reptiles.
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