Papers in the Biological Sciences
Date of this Version
6-2023
Citation
Scott, J., K. M. Enge, L. A. Somma, and R. D. Bartlett. 2023. Plestiodon egregius insularis (Cedar Key Mole Skink). Reproduction. Herpetological Review 54(2):299-300.
Abstract
PLESTIODON EGREGIUS INSULARlS (Cedar Key Mole Skink). REPRODUCTION. Plestiodon egregius insularis is the largest of five described subspecies (Mount 1965. Bull. Florida St. Mus. BioI. Sci. 9:183-213) and is known from only nine small islands off the coast of Levy County, Florida, USA. The only documented clutch size for P. e. insularis contained five eggs (Mount 1963. Am. MidI. Nat. 70:356-385). For wild P. egregius, Mount (1963, op. cit.) reported 2-9 (mean = 4.8) eggs for 13 clutches, and Hamilton and Pollack (1958. Herpetologica 14:25-28) found two nests of P. e. similis in Georgia containing five eggs each. In captivity, wild-caught female P. egregius from Florida laid eggs from April to mid-June, and they attended the eggs until they hatched 31-51 d later (Mount 1963, op. cit.). Here we report on clutch sizes, including a new maximum clutch size, and developmental times of P. e. insularis.