Plestiodon laticeps (Schneider) – Broad-headed Skink
Plestiodon laticeps (Schneider) – Broad-headed Skink

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Legend
     Exact locality, based on specimen(s) or photographs examined
     Exact locality, based on literature record believed valid
     Approximate locality based on specimen(s) or photographs examined
     Approximate locality based on literature record believed valid
     County record only, based on specimens or photographs examined
     County record only, based on literature report believed valid
     Type locality
?      Questionable and/or problematic record

Taxonomy:  No subspecies are recognized for Plestiodon laticeps (de Queiroz and Reeder 2012). 

Distribution:  Broad-headed Skinks have been documented in scattered localities across Tennessee from the Mississippi River to the Unaka Mountains, but many counties in all three grand divisions lack verified records. 

Museum Records by Counties:  Blount—CMNH 24964; GSMNP 3853.  Cannon—MTSU 29L.  Carroll—MTSU 24L.  Crockett—APSU 18048,  19037.  DeKalb—SIU R-1952- R-1958.  Dickson—APSU 3166. Franklin—MCZ 60869, 60870.  Gibson—MTSU 23L.  Giles—AMNH R-101353.  Hardeman—UMMZ 183994.  Henry—UMMZ 53318, 53320.  Houston—APSU 17649; USNM 44770.  Knox—USNM 5050; UTKVZC 4144, 3427-3430.  Lake—KU 21777; MoSU uncataloged (1 specimen); SIUC R-1253; TTU 270; UIMNH 17147.  Madison—APSU 19129.  Marshall—APSU 19226.  Maury—APSU 19214.  McMinn—FLMNH uncataloged (1 specimen).  Monroe—FLMNH 22472-22479; FLMNH uncataloged (3 specimens).  Montgomery—APSU 2004, 2006, 2012, 4448, 4477; USNM 48200.  Obion—APSU 2105, 3183; LSUMZ 52124; SIU R-1535, R-1550, uncataloged (1 specimen); UMMZ 126058.  Putnam—TTU 864.  Sevier—GSMNP 3846, 3848-3850, 3852.  Shelby—UMMZ 84418.  Stewart—APSU 606, 620, 985, 1675, 5690, 5779, 5780, 18108.  Wayne—USNM 103138, 103140-103142.  Weakley—APSU 19463.  Williamson—APSU 14414.  Wilson—TTU 735. 

Literature Sources by Counties:  Anderson—Moody (2013), Byrd and Fox (2017).  Bledsoe—Gentry (1956). Blount—King (1939).  Davidson—Gentry (1956), Hopkins (1990).  DeKalb—Harris (1967).  Dickson—Gentry (1956). Franklin—Miller et al. (2005).  Grundy—Cantrell et al. (2013).  Hamilton—Reynolds and Niemiller (2013a).  Hardeman—Norton (1971), Norton and Harvey (1975).  Henry—Taylor (1935).  Houston—Taylor (1935).   Knox—Taylor (1935).  Lake—Parker (1948).  Madison—Colvin (2011f).  Marshall—Foster et al. (2013).  Maury—Foster and Conway (2012b).  McNairy—Reynolds and Niemiller (2013a).  Montgomery—Taylor (1935).  Obion—Taylor (1935), Parker (1948), Gentry (1956), Pitts (1978).  Overton—DeLotelle (1976).  Roane—Johnson (1964).  Rutherford—Speiss (2004), Niemiller et al. (2011).   Sevier—King (1939), Huheey and Stupka (1967).  Shelby—Taylor (1935), Parker (1948), Hassell (1961).  Stewart—Zirkle (1993), Davenport (2005), Davenport and Scott (2009).  Sumner—Gillespie and Threadgill (2009).  Union—Reynolds and Niemiller (2013a).  Weakley—Fulbright et al. (2014). Wilson—Jordan et al. (1968), Jordan (1986), Niemiller et al. (2011). 

Questionable and/or Erroneous Records: The Sumner County record (Gillespie and Threadgill 2009) is questionable because the common name is given as “Five-lined Skink” and the scientific name as “Eumeces laticeps.” 

Conservation Status: None.

Posted: 21 December 2009

Latest Revision: 11 December 2017

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This document is being adapted to the WWW by Jean Langley, Floyd Scott, and Rusty Smith.