Distribution | USA (California, S Nevada, W Arizona), Mexico (N Baja California)
arizonensis: isolated populations in Arizona,in the Bradshaw Mountains, Weaver Mountains, Santa Maria Mountains, Cerbat and Music Mountains. Type locality: USA: 5 mi SE Wickenburg, Maricopa County, Arizona.
rubricaudatus: USA (S California), Mexico (NW Baja California, North Coronado Island). Type locality: Tehachapi Mountains, California.
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Diagnosis | DEFINITION AND Diagnosis:A relatively large skink, adults average 87 mm snout-vent length (SVL), range 63-113 mm, and hatchlings 32 mm. Juveniles are striped, generally with pairs of light-colored dorsolateral lines extending from the rostral scale to the tail. Juvenile background color varies, but is generally dark brown and the tail a shade of blue or pink. Striping fades with maturity; in all subspecies except arizonensis, adults lose all stripes. Adult ground color may be brown, olive-brown, grayish brown, bluish gray, greenish gray or olive, with varying amounts of dark pigment superimposed. Adults may also develop orange or red coloration on their heads, especially during the breeding season. Complete or nearly complete loss of juvenile striping at 60-70 mm SVL, and adult size more than 75 mm SVL most consistently distinguish E. gilberti from E. skiltonianus in areas of sympatry. Eumeces skil· tonianus also has scattered black melanophores clustered in groups or singly, superimposed on the ground color of the back, and usually 7 supralabials (83% with at least one side with 7 supralabials or less). Eumeces gilberti usually has 8 supralabials on both sides. (Bruce 1985) |
References |
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