About Plestiodon japonicus (Peters, 1864)
Plestiodon japonicus is similar to Plestiodon latiscutatus, which is distributed on the Izu Peninsula and the Izu Islands. Plestiodon japonicus has a total length of 15 to 24 cm, with a snout-vent length of 6 to 9.6 cm. Juveniles of this species have shiny blue tails and black bodies marked with five golden stripes. Adult Plestiodon japonicus are brown. Females retain their stripes into adulthood, while the stripes can disappear in males. During the mating season, the head of mature males turns red. This species has the largest geographic distribution of any skink species in Japan. It is found in Western Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the surrounding islands of Japan.
