HerpIndiana

Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon (Eumeces) fasciatus)

Adult female from Posey County

Description

Morphology: Adults are brown in coloration with faded stripes dorsally. Males have a reddish bulky head and generally have fewer or no stripes dorsally. Females lack the red pigmentation on the head and tend to retain their stripes to some extent.

Scalation: Generally 7 bilateral supralabials, usually 2 postlabials, and 28-30 scale rows at midbody (Minton 2001, 232-233). Scales are smooth.

Size: This lizard grows up to around 7in total length (Conant and Collins 1998, 570).

Juveniles: Juveniles are black in coloration with bright yellow stripes. The tail is bright blue.

Eggs: Females generally lay 4-13 (Minton 2001, 235) slightly oblong white eggs of about 1 inch in length.

Similar Species: The Broad-headed Skink (Eumeces laticeps) attains a much larger size than this species and the males have a much more obvious enlarged red head. In very young juveniles and small adults differentiating the two may be difficult and is best done by scale counts (see scalation). Broad-headed Skinks tend to be more arboreal as well and as such are found less often under cover on the ground.

Distribution

The Five-lined Skink occurs throughout the eastern United States and far southern Canada (Conant and Collins 1998, 263).

Five-lined Skinks are very common throughout southern Indiana. Their distribution in central and northern Indiana is spotty and they seem to be generally uncommon throughout this area.

Activity

In Indiana, Skinks are usually active from late March to early October with a peak of activty during May and June (Minton 2001, 234).

Breeding Season: This species tends to breeds during May and eggs are laid sometime from late May to early June. The eggs hatch after around a month of incubation (Minton 2001, 234-235).

Taxonomy

The Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) has no subspecies. The Five-lined Skink belongs to the genus Eumeces and is in the family Scincidae which is represented in Indiana by 3 different species.

Natural History

Habitat: Skinks inhabit open wooded areas and brushy open edge habitat as. They favor upland, dry habitat, but have also been found in and around lowland swamps and shaded ravines. Rocky walls, old buildings, and sunny rock outcrops are favored sites for these lizards. They are often seen sunning in such places during spring and early summer. Juveniles and occasionally adults can be turned up under rocks, logs, and artificial cover.

Feeding: These Skinks feed mainly on insects, spiders, and occasionally snails. Evidence also indicates that they will occasionally eat their own eggs and offspring (Minton 2001, 236).

Breeding: Females lay their eggs in rotten logs, or under rocks and other cover objects. Females almost always brood their eggs and will keep the nest site clean, moist, and free from predation. Females exhibit an amazing amount of parental care as observed by Minton "I removed the eggs from one nest a distance of about ten inches. The female promptly began to reassemble them, rolling them with her nose or dragging them in a loop of her body. She used her jaws to shift her eggs, but not to carry them" (Minton 2001, 236).

Conservation: This species adapts well to developement and can often be seen scurrying around buildings and barns. The openings people create along woodlands are often utilized as basking sites.