Plestiodon egregius BAIRD, 1858
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Plestiodon egregius
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | Plestiodon egregius egregius BAIRD 1858 Plestiodon egregius insularis (MOUNT 1965) Plestiodon egregius lividus (MOUNT 1965) Plestiodon egregius onocrepis (COPE 1871) Plestiodon egregius similis (MCCONKEY 1957) |
| Common Names | E: Mole Skink egregius: Florida Keys Mole Skink insularis:: 210 Cedar Key Mole Skink lividus: Bluetail Mole Skink onocrepis: Peninsula Mole Skink similis: Northern Mole Skink |
| Synonym | Plestiodon egregius BAIRD 1858: 256 Eumeces egregius — TAYLOR 1936: 490 Eumeces egregius — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 135 Eumeces egregius — GRIFFITH, NGO & MURPHY 2000 Plestiodon egregius — SCHMITZ et al. 2004 Eumeces egregius — JENSEN et al. 2008: 305 Eumeces egregius egregius — MAYS et al. 2017 Plestiodon egregious — CHEN et al. 2020 (in error) Plestiodon egregius insularis (MOUNT 1965) Eumeces egregius insularis MOUNT 1965: 210 Plestiodon egregius insularis — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009 Plestiodon egregius lividus (MOUNT 1965) Eumeces egregius lividus MOUNT 1965 Plestiodon egregius lividus — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009 Plestiodon egregius onocrepis (COPE 1871: 82) Plistodon [sic] onocrepis COPE 1871: 82 Eumeces egregius onocrepis — MOUNT 1965 Plestiodon egregius onocrepis — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009 Plestiodon egregius onocrepis — SCOTT et al. 2012 Plestiodon egregius onocrepis — ENGE 2021 Plestiodon egregius similis (MCCONKEY 1957) Eumeces egregius similis MCCONKEY 1957 Eumeces egregius similis — MOUNT 1965 Plestiodon egregius similis — COLLINS & TAGGART 2009 Plestiodon egregius similis — GUYER et al. 2018 |
| Distribution | USA (Alabama, S Georgia, Florida) egregius: Florida keys and dry Tortugas. Type locality: Indian Key, Pinellas County, Florida. similis: USA (N Florida, Alamabama, S Georgia). Type locality: NW outskirts of Augusta, Richmond County, Georgia. insularis: Levy county, Florida. Type locality: Cedar Key airstrip, Levy County, Florida. onocrepis: Florida peninsula. Type locality: “, 1936), from Dummet's Plantation (=Dummett's Grove, near Allenhurst on Merritt I., Brevard County, Florida”. lividus: Polk and Highlands counties, Florida. Type locality: E side of Hwy 27, 5.2 miles N Avon Park, Polk County, Florida. |
| Reproduction | ovovivparous |
| Types | Syntypes: USNM 3127 (2 specimens) Holotype: UF 12598.4 (Florida State Museum of Natural History) [insularis] Holotype: UF 12642.1 (Florida State Museum of Natural History) [lividus] Holotype: lost, formerly YPM (lost fide Taylor, 1936), from Dummet's Plantation (=Dummett's Grove, near Allenhurst on Merritt I;, Brevard County, Florida, fide Mount, 1965), collected by C.J. Maynard [onocrepis] Holotype: UF 7647 (Florida State Museum of Natural History) [similis] |
| Diagnosis | DEFINITION. This is a fairly small species of Eumeces (adults from 34 to 62 mm snout-vent length; females average 4.5 mm longer than males). The limbs are reduced, the primary temporal is lacking, and the ear opening is partially closed. There are usually three supraoculars. Scale rows at midbody number 18 to 24. Both head and body lack a median light stripe. Sexually active males are suffused with yellow, orange, or reddish-orange on the lips, chin, sides of neck, lower sides of the body, and occasionally on the ventrum. (Mount 1968) DIAGNOSIS (egregius). A subspecies of E. egregius in which approximately 60 per cent of the individuals have 22 or more scale rows at midbody and in which the reddish-orange or orange suffusion in sexually mature males frequently extends downward to occupy some or all of the venter (Mount 1965). DIAGNOSIS (onocrepis). A variable race of Eumeces egregius characterized by having a brown, red, orange, yellow, pinkish, or lavender tail in conjunction with dorsolateral light stripes that widen or diverge or both (Mount 1965). DIAGNOSIS (similis). A race of Eumeces egregius having a reddish orange, reddish brown, or orange tail, dorsolateral light stripes that neither widen nor diverge, 21 or fewer scale rows at midbody (usually), 6 supralabial scales on each side, and one in which the hatchlings have easily discernible markings on the dorsum (Mount 1965). DIAGNOSIS (lividus). A subspecies of Eumeces egregius having a bright blue tail in the young and in some adults, widening and diverging dorsolateral light stripes, and 7 supralabial scales on each side (Mount 1965). DIAGNOSIS (insularis). A subspecies of Eumeces egregius having inconspicuous dorsolateral light stripes which neither widen nor diverge, 21 or fewer scale rows at mid-body, large body size, and in which the hatchlings in life are almost black in color (Mount 1965). |
| Comment | Distribution: for map of subspecies see Gibbons et al. 2009: 97 Mole skinks do not reach the body size of sympatric species of skinks and retain decoy coloration throughout development. Both patterns of scarring in museum specimens and attacks on plasticine models suggest that red coloration serves as a decoy, attracting attacks to the autotomous tail. While predation rates were similar across habitats, models with red tails were attacked far less frequently in open habitats than models with blue tails, while attack rates were similar in closed habitats (Heninger et al. 2020). Subspecies: Mount 1965: 211 provides a key to the subspecies of P. egregius. |
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