''Plestiodon brevirostris'', the short-nosed skink, is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Description

''P.Brevirostris'' can reach a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 129.8 mm, but on average is around 59.3-62.4 mm. It has a stout olive-gray body, with two dorsolateral light stripes from snout to hind legs, as well as dark brownish-black stripes on the side. The short-nosed skink’s belly is pigmented and speckled with scattered dark dots. The male’s supralabials are reddish. Fully grown adults have a red or brown (ground color) tail, unlike juvenile tails, which are metallic blue.

Reproduction

The short-nosed skink is ovoviviparous.

Habitat

Short-nosed skinks are endemic to Mexico, and can be found in Guerrero Morelos, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Puebla, MIchoacan, and Nayarit. They live in forests and shrublands at high elevations.

Entomology

The specific name Brevirostris was named after the latin “brevis”, meaning short, and “rostrum” which means beak/proboscis.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5125067 brevirostris Reptiles of Mexico Reptiles described in 1860 Taxa named by Albert Günther