Kishinoue's giant skink
Kishinoue's giant skink (Plestiodon kishinouyei) is a species of skink, a lizard in the family Scincidae, endemic to the southern Ryukyu Islands of Japan.
| Kishinoue's giant skink | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A roadkilled specimen at Ishigaki Island, 2019 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Scincidae |
| Genus: | Plestiodon |
| Species: | P. kishinouyei |
| Binomial name | |
| Plestiodon kishinouyei Stejneger, 1901 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Eumeces kishinouyei | |
The species name is a tribute to Japanese fisheries biologist Kamakichi Kishinouye (岸上 鎌吉, 1867-1929).
Description
Plestiodon kishinouyei is about 30–40 cm in total length (including tail), with a snout to vent length of 14.0–17.2 cm. It is the largest member of its widely distributed, speciose genus,[2] and thus appears to be an example of island gigantism.
References
- Kidera, N. & Ota, H. 2017. Plestiodon kishinouyei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T8217A96877356. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T8217A96877356.en. Downloaded on 03 January 2019.
- Kurita, K.; Toda, M. (2017). "The role of ecological factors in determining phylogeographic and population genetic structure of two sympatric island skinks (Plestiodon kishinouyei and P. stimpsonii)". Genetica. 145 (2): 223–234. doi:10.1007/s10709-017-9960-3. PMID 28271307.
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