 the many-lined skink (plestiodon multivirgatus) is a medium-sized member of the plestiodon skinks, a kind of lizard, living in north america. ==taxonomy== the taxonomy of this species is somewhat unclear, even amongst researchers. most commonly, two subspecies are recognized: * p.m. multivirgatus (hallowell 1857), the northern many-lined skink, and * p.m. epipleurotus (cope 1880), the variable skink. the latter is sometimes treated as a separate species plestiodon epipleurotus or plestiodon gaigeae (taylor 1935), or given as the subspecies p.m. gaigeae. these names are in honor of a helen beulah thompson gaige (1890&ndash;1976), a herpetologist from the university of michigan. p.m. epipleurotus is also called the two-lined skink. == description == the many-lined skink is a medium-sized skink reaching a maximum length from snout to vent of about 7.5&nbsp;cm (3&nbsp;inches) and a total length of roughly 19&nbsp;cm (about 7.5&nbsp;in). its body is olive to brown in color. p.m. multivirgatus has black stripes along the body and tail, while p.m. epipleurotus has two white stripes with black borders. == range and habitat == the range of p. m. multivirgatus is limited in the north by southern south dakota, nebraska, and wyoming and extends in the south until the arkansas river in colorado. p.m. multivirgatus prefers sandy soil and occurs in habitat below 1675&nbsp;m (5500&nbsp;ft). p. m. epipleurotus occurs from south-eastern utah and southern colorado through arizona, new mexico, and western texas to chihuahua in mexico. it lives in rocky habitat up to elevations of 2600&nbsp;m (8500&nbsp;ft). == external links == *bison fact sheet for p. m. epipleurotus 
Fauna_of_Northern_Mexico Fauna_of_the_Western_United_States Great_skinks Reptiles_of_Mexico Reptiles_of_the_United_States