Plestiodon chinensis

There are four subspecies (though not all with universal recognition^[3]):^[2]

• Plestiodon chinensis chinensis (Gray, 1838) – China, Vietnam
• Plestiodon chinensis daishanensis (Mao, 1983) – Zhoushan Islands, China
• Plestiodon chinensis formosensis Van Denburgh, 1912 – Taiwan
• Plestiodon chinensis pulcher Duméril & Bibron, 1839 – China

Plestiodon chinensis formosensis from eastern Taiwan were in 2017 found to be identical with Plestiodon chinensis leucostictus, now recognized as Plestiodon leucostictus.^[3]

The Chinese blue-tailed skink has an average snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 13 cm, with a total length of 35 cm. It is large and stout, with a broad head and a pale white underside. As juveniles mature, their body undergoes a change in color from a dark brown with three light dorsal stripes and a blue tail to a fully mature brownish green, complete with reddish spots on the flanks.^[2]