These last two scientific names are in honor of American herpetologist Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige (1890–1976) of the University of Michigan.

The many-lined skink is a medium-sized skink reaching a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 7.5 cm (3.0 in) and a total length of roughly 19 cm (7.5 in).

[2] The geographic range of P. m. multivirgatus in the north includes southern South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming, and extends in the south to the Arkansas River in Colorado.

P. m. multivirgatus prefers sandy soil and occurs in habitat below 1,675 m (5,495 ft).

[1] P. m. epipleurotus occurs from south-eastern Utah and southern Colorado through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas.