Plestiodon lynxe

Plestiodon lynxe
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Scincidae
Genus:	Plestiodon
Species:	P. lynxe
Binomial name
Plestiodon lynxe (Wiegmann, 1834)
Synonyms[2]
Euprepes lynxe Wiegmann, 1834 Eumeces lynxe — W. Peters, 1864 Plestiodon lynxe — Schmitz et al., 2004

Plestiodon lynxe, also known commonly as the oak forest skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. There are three recognized subspecies.[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. lynxe is oak forest or pine-oak forest, at altitudes of 1,800–2,700 m (5,900–8,900 ft).[1]

Diet

P. bellii preys upon insects and other arthropods.[1]

Reproduction

P. lynxe is viviparous.[1][2] Maximum recorded litter size is five neonates.[1]

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies.[2]

• Plestiodon lynxe bellii Gray, 1845
• Plestiodon lynxe furcirostris (Cope, 1885)
• Plestiodon lynxe lynxe (Wiegmann, 1834)

Nota bene: A trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Plestiodon.

Etymology

The subspecific name, bellii, is in honor of English zoologist Thomas Bell.[3]

References

1. Canseco-Márquez, L.; Mendoza-Quijano, F.; Ponce-Campos, P. (2007). "Plestiodon lynxe". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2007: e.T64232A12756839. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T64232A12756839.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
2. Plestiodon lynxe at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 20 October 2020.
3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Plestiodon lynxe bellii, p. 22).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1887). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume III. ... Scincidæ .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 575 pp. + Plates I–XL. (Eumeces lynxe, p. 380).
• Hartweg N (1931). "Apparent ovoviviparity in the Mexican skink Eumeces lynxae [sic] Wiegmann". Copeia 1931 (2): 60.
• Webb RG (1968). "The Mexican skink Eumeces lynxe (Squamata, Scincidae)". Publications of the Museum, Michigan State University, Biological Series 4 (1): 1–28.