Chinese stone dragon, commonly known as "four-legged snake", has a genus of lizards in the suborder Lithopodidae, with a total of 4 subspecies differentiation: nominate subspecies, leukoplakia subspecies, Daishan subspecies, and Taiwan subspecies. It is mainly distributed in the area south of the Huai River in the Qinling Mountains of China, living in low-altitude mountainous areas and plains cultivated areas. During the day, it is often found on the side of the road, in the field, on the earthen mounds or on stones, waiting for opportunities to prey on various insects. It has been included in the "three lists" protection list of the China Forestry Administration.
The body is relatively stout, with well-developed limbs, and the total length is 20-30 cm. Adults have olive backs, brown heads, reddish brown on the neck and body sides, and are more pronounced in males, with some body sides scattered with black spots and a white ventral surface. The juveniles are dark grey on the back, with 3 pale yellow longitudinal stripes, one in the middle from the posterior end of the intermediate parietal scales, and two dorsal scales from the supraorbital scales backwards to the tail, and the shallow longitudinal stripes completely disappear or are faintly visible as the individual grows. Juveniles have a blue tail and disappear after adulthood.
The Lycaenidae, a family of 1200-1300 species in 85 genera, is the largest family of lizards. They are distributed all over the world, but have the most species in southern Asia and Oceania, while fewer in Europe, northern Asia and the Americas. The tail is thick and long, rounded, easy to break, and can regenerate after breaking, but regenerate parts without vertebrae. It is mainly terrestrial and prefers to be active in dry and rocky places. It feeds mainly on insects, larvae or plants.