Ateuchosaurus chinensis Gray, 1845

Common Name & Body Shape

Ateuchosaurus chinensis, commonly known as the Chinese short-limbed skink, has an elongated body.

Snout-Vent Length

Females have a snout-vent length of 70–80 mm, while males have a snout-vent length of 82–83.8 mm.

Tail Characteristics

Its tail is longer than the body, though regenerated tails are typically shorter.

Limb Structure

This species has short, pentadactyl limbs, and its fingers and toes are widely separated when pressed against the body.

Snout Morphology

The snout is short and obtuse.

Coloration

Its dorsal color is brownish, with a cream or yellowish white underside, and black and white spots along its flanks.

Overall Distribution

This skink is endemic to Vietnam, and southern and central China.

Vietnam Distribution

In Vietnam, it was first recorded only in the Mau Son Mountains of Lạng Sơn province, and has since been discovered in secondary forests in Bắc Giang province and Hà Giang province.

China Distribution

In China, it has been recorded in Fujian, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hong Kong, Hainan, and Nan'ao Island.

Habitat

It is a terrestrial species that inhabits leaf litter on the forest floor of secondary forests, and mixed bamboo and hardwood forests.

Reproductive Mode

The Chinese short-limbed skink is oviparous, and lays several eggs per clutch.

Reproductive Timing Hypothesis

It has been hypothesized that the species yolks eggs during the monsoonal season, and eggs hatch late in the season; if this hypothesis holds, females likely do not lay eggs until they reach approximately 23 months of age.

Vietnam Egg-Laying Period

In Vietnam, the species probably lays eggs between June and September, during the local rainy season.