It was long named Eumeces okadae but changed to latiscutatus according to the rules of nomenclature and priority.

Juveniles have a blue tail which is also more greenish than for P. japonicus and the striped pattern of P. latiscutatus disappears sooner.

However, some subpopulations on the Izu islands Miyake-jima, Hachijō-jima and Aogashima have been in decline due to the introduction of Japanese weasels as a predator species in order to control rats.

[1][2] The ranges of two Plestiodon species border P. latiscutatus: P. japonicus is found in southwestern Honshū with the exception of the Izu Peninsula and on Shikoku and Kyushu as well as surrounding islands.

The species border runs in the northwest of the Izu Peninsula along the lower Fuji River which is located southwest of Fuji-san.

Similar biogeographic borders exist for the woodlouse species Ligia oceanica and for land-snails.

The three Plestiodon species only overlap in a small range and show clear differences in mitochondrial DNA sequence.