32 THE AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



lor, 1932b) have been but recently recognized as distinct from the blue- tailed 

 skink, there is often little way of telling to which of these three species the 

 various authors refer. In Michigan, however, where only fasciatus occurs, 

 Ruthven (1911, 264) found the number of eggs in various clutches to be 6, 

 6, 8, 8, 9, 11, 13 and 14. In the laboratory Noble and Mason (1933, 2) had 

 six specimens of fasciatus which laid from 5 to 8 eggs each and one laid only 

 2. The latter authors give the incubation period in the laboratory as from 

 27 to 47 days. 



Eumeces laticeps Schneider 

 Large-Headed Skink; Scorpion 



Description. — The largest lizard occurring in the state. Longest adult 

 Ohio specimen ( $ ), 91/2 inches, but minus a small portion of its tail. The 

 smallest perfect specimen examined measured 4% inches. Head small and 

 but little distinct from neck except in large males in which the posterior por- 

 tion of the head is swollen and widened laterally to a considerable extent. 

 Limbs well de^loped; five toes and claws on each foot. Body moderately 

 slender in juveniles; stout in adults. Tail long and slender and from 1.19 to 

 1.68, average 1.47, times the length from snout to vent. 



Scales around middle of body 30 to 32, average 30.6. Scales smooth. 

 Upper labials usually 8, of which 5 precede the subocular labial. In 28% 

 of the cases the number of upper labials is 7, of which 4 precede the sub- 

 ocular labial. This condition may occur on both sides of the head or on only 

 one. Lower labials 7, rarely 8. 



Last upper labial usually followed by a single postlabial with a small scale 

 situated above its posterior end. The lower secondary temporal very frequent- 

 ly enters the auricular opening or is only narrowly separated from it. Pre- 

 frontals broadly in contact with each other in every specimen examined. 



Color pattern above consisting of five light stripes, each about the width 

 of a scale, on a darker ground. In juveniles the stripes are bright yellow on 

 black but with increasing size and age the contrast lessens. The two con- 

 trasting colors approach each other in tone, the one darkening and the other 

 lightening, until the pattern may be discerned only with difficulty. Adult 

 females retain some indication of the striped pattern, but large males become 

 uniform olive or olive brown, show considerable reddish on the head and have 

 the posterior portion of the head considerably swollen and widened laterally. 



Legs similar in color to darker dorsal areas. Under surface uniform yel- 

 lowish, the scales occasionally edged with darker. Tail in juveniles bright 

 blue but with the striping continued from the dorsum onto its anterior third 

 or more. Tail in adults uniformly the same as the dorsal coloration. 



The change from juvenile to adult coloration occurs at a greater size in 

 Eumeces laticeps than in Eumeces fasciatus. A specimen of laticeps, 5% 

 inches in length, shows no indication of change while numerous specimens of 

 fasciatus of similar length exhibit considerable darkenings of the stripes and 

 lightening of the areas between them. The reddish on the head and the 

 swollen temporal region in adult males is usually much more pronounced in 

 laticeps. 



