Plestiodon latiscutatus

The species Plestiodon latiscutatus was first described by the American herpetologist Edward Hallowell in 1861. There are no recognized subspecies. During the 20th century it was placed in the genus Eumeces, which as of 2026 contains African and Middle-Eastern skinks. It was long called Eumeces okadae, a synonym of P. latiscutatus according to the rules of nomenclature and priority. == Description ==

The total length (tail included) of Plestiodon latiscutatus is , and the snout-to-vent length (SVL) is . Similar species are P. japonicus and P. finitimus. The color of P. latiscutatus is more greenish than that of P. japonicus. Juveniles have a blue tail which is also more greenish than that of P. japonicus, and the striped pattern of P. latiscutatus disappears sooner. On the outer Izu islands P. latiscutatus usually has more rows of body scales than P. japonicus. Overall the two species are best distinguished by their geographic ranges. ==Behavior==

Plestiodon latiscutatus preys on earthworms, spiders, ants, Amphipoda, and other invertebrates. The mating season is in spring, from mid-April to late May. Females lay clutches of four to twelve eggs every two years. == Geographic range and threats ==

with the Izu Peninsula in the North It is found on the Izu Islands and the Izu Peninsula. The IUCN lists the species as least concern. However, some subpopulations on the Izu islands Miyake-jima, Hachijō-jima and Aogashima have been in decline due to the introduction of Japanese weasels as a predator species in order to control rats. There is also hybridization on Hachijō-jima with introduced P. japonicus. On the Japanese Red List the species is therefore listed as species with Locally endangered Population on these three islands. The majority population on the Izu Peninsula is considered as stable. Other species of the genus found in Japan are distributed on the Nansei Islands: • P. barbouri on Amami Islands and Okinawa Islands • P. elegans on Senkaku Islands and Taiwan, Southeast-China and North-Vietnam • P. kishinouyei on Miyako and Yaeyama Islands • P. kuchinoshimensis auf Kuchinoshima in the northern Tokara Islands • P. marginatus on Okinawa, Amami and Tokara Islands • P. oshimensis on Amami and Tokara Islands • P. stimpsonii on Yaeyama Islands • P. takarai on four of the Senkaku Islands ==References==