Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Have you been out in the field today?
Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon (Eumeces) laticeps)
Adult Male from Jefferson County
Description
Coloration: Adults are brown in coloration with faded or no stripes dorsally. Males have a very large, bulky red head and no obvious dorsal stripes. Females lack the red pigmentation on the head and usually have some hint of faded striping dorsally. In this species, adults of both gender usually have obviously bulky or broad heads (hence the name). Males have a much larger and more distinct head than females.
Scalation: Generally 8 bilateral supralabials, usually 1 postlabial, and often more than 30 scale rows at midbody (Minton 2001, 237). Scales are smooth.
Size: This is a very large lizard, growing up to 12in total length (Conant and Collins 1998, 573).
Juveniles: Juveniles are black in coloration with bright yellow stripes. The tail is bright blue.
Eggs: Females generally lay 6-16 (Minton 2001, 238) slightly oblong white eggs of about 1 inch in length.
Similar Species: This Skink grows much larger than the Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) 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
Broad-headed Skinks are likely common throughout southern Indiana, but their true distribution is not well known due to their arboreal nature. They occur in parts of central Indiana and up to tippecanoe couny in the western part of the state as well (Minton 2001, 238).
Activity
Broad-headed Skinks are likely active from sometime in April through October.
Breeding Season: This species breeds during the spring and eggs are laid sometime from late June to early July (Minton 2001, 238).
Taxonomy
The Broad-headed Skink (Eumeces laticeps) has no subspecies. The Broad-headed Skink belongs to the genus Eumeces and is in the family Scincidae which is represented in Indiana by 3 different species.
Natural History
Habitat: Broad-headed Skinks are found in mature upland forests generally in hilly terrain. They are highly arboreal and because of this are not seen frequently. I have observed a pair of adults that frequent a rock outcrop high above a waterfall and it is likely that high rock outcrops that recieve ample sunlight may be favored basking sites. This species is turned up under cover objects much less often than the Five-lined Skink.
Feeding: These Skinks feed on almost anything they can fit inside their mouth. They will eat insects and spiders as well as smaller lizards. Minton reported a captive Broad-headed Skink feeding on newborn mice and the contents of a bird egg (Minton 2001, 239).
Breeding: Females lay their eggs in rotten logs, or under rocks and other cover objects. The eggs hatch after around a month of incubation. Females almost always brood their eggs similarly to Five-lined Skinks (Minton 2001, 238).
