What family does Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864) belong to?

Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864) (Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864)) belongs to the family Scincidae, order null, in the kingdom Animalia. You can identify it offline using the iNature app.

Can I identify Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864) without internet?

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Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864) is a animal in the Scincidae family, order null, kingdom Animalia. Not known to be toxic.

Animalia

Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864)

Plestiodon japonicus is a Japanese skink species with distinct coloration by age and sex, and the broadest distribution of any skink in Japan.

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Family

Scincidae

Genus

Plestiodon

Order

Class

Squamata

About Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864)

Related Species Comparison

Plestiodon japonicus is similar to Plestiodon latiscutatus, which is distributed on the Izu Peninsula and the Izu Islands.

Size

Plestiodon japonicus has a total length of 15 to 24 cm, with a snout-vent length of 6 to 9.6 cm.

Juvenile Coloration

Juveniles of this species have shiny blue tails and black bodies marked with five golden stripes.

Adult Coloration

Adult Plestiodon japonicus are brown. Females retain their stripes into adulthood, while the stripes can disappear in males.

Mating Season Trait

During the mating season, the head of mature males turns red.

Distribution Range

This species has the largest geographic distribution of any skink species in Japan. It is found in Western Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the surrounding islands of Japan.

Photo: (c) R.J. Adams, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by R.J. Adams · cc-by-nc