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Plestiodon anthracinus

Baird, 1849 [or 1850]

Coal Skink

G5Secure Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101505
Element CodeARACH01010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyScincidae
GenusPlestiodon
Synonyms
Eumeces anthracinus(Baird, 1849) [or 1850]
Other Common Names
coal skink (EN)
Concept Reference
Brandley, M. C., H. Ota, T. Hikida, A.Nieto, M. De Oca, M. Feria-Ortiz, X. Guo, and Y. Wang. 2012. The phylogenetic systematics of blue-tailed skinks (Plestiodon) and the family Scincidae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165(1):163-189.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly in the genus Eumeces. Smith (2005) and Brandley et al. (2005) formally proposed that all North American species (north of Mexico) be placed in the genus Plestiodon. In a phylogenetic analysis of Eumeces based on morphology, Griffith et al. (2000) proposed splitting Eumeces into multiple genera, based on the apparent paraphyly of Eumeces.
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-08-25
Change Date1996-10-28
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

The habitat generally consists of humid wooded areas with abundant leaf litter and loose rocks; often the lizard occurs in the vicinity of springs, swamps, and bogs, but it also inhabits clearcuts, highway and powerline rights-of-way (Hulse et al. 2001), rocky bluffs above creek valleys, dry, rocky, south-facing hillsides (Johnson 2000), and dry shale barrens (West Virginia). Individuals often shelter under logs and rocks near water. Sometimes they take refuge in water. One nest was under a piece of shale (Mount 1975).

Reproduction

Mating ocurs in late winter and early spring in Georgia (Hotchkin et al. 2001). Lays clutch of about 6-11 eggs, April-June; eggs hatch in about 5 weeks; female attends eggs during incubation (Mount 1975, Collins 1982). In Georgia, sexually mature in 2 years, first reproduces at 30-32 months (Hotchkin et al. 2001).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OhioS1Yes
TennesseeS1Yes
LouisianaS2Yes
West VirginiaS2Yes
South CarolinaS1Yes
MississippiS3Yes
PennsylvaniaS3Yes
New YorkS2Yes
IndianaSNRYes
KentuckyS1Yes
MissouriS4Yes
KansasS3Yes
OklahomaS3Yes
TexasS4Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
FloridaS3Yes
MarylandS1Yes
GeorgiaS2Yes
AlabamaS3Yes
North CarolinaS2Yes
VirginiaS3Yes
Roadless Areas (7)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cunningham Brake Research Natural AreaKisatchie National Forest1,797
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Clarion RiverAllegheny National Forest3,821
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
North MountainJefferson National Forest8,377
Ramseys Draft AdditionGeorge Washington National Forest12,781
References (22)
  1. Behler, J. L., and F. W. King. 1979. The Audubon Society field guide to North American reptiles and amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. 719 pp.
  2. Brandley, M. C., A. Schmitz, and T. W. Reeder. 2005. Partitioned Bayesian analyses, partition choice, and the phylogenetic relationships of scincid lizards. Systematic Biology 54:373-390.
  3. Brandley, M. C., H. Ota, T. Hikida, A.Nieto, M. De Oca, M. Feria-Ortiz, X. Guo, and Y. Wang. 2012. The phylogenetic systematics of blue-tailed skinks (<i>Plestiodon</i>) and the family Scincidae. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 165(1):163-189.
  4. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  5. Collins, J. T. 1990. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians and reptiles. 3rd ed. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular No. 19. 41 pp.
  6. Collins, J. T., and T. W. Taggart. 2009. Standard common and current scientific names for North American amphibians, turtles, reptiles, and crocodilians. Sixth edition. The Center for North American Herpetology, Lawrance, Kansas. iv + 44 pp.
  7. Conant, R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xvii + 429 pp.
  8. Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1998. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition, expanded. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 616 pp.
  9. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2008. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. Sixth edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles Herpetological Circular 37:1-84. Online with updates at: http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/comm_names/Index.php
  10. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2012. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 7th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 39:1-92.
  11. Crother, B. I. (editor). 2017. Scientific and standard English names of amphibians and reptiles of North America north of Mexico, with comments regarding confidence in our understanding. 8th edition. SSAR Herpetological Circular 43:1-104. [Updates in SSAR North American Species Names Database at: https://ssarherps.org/cndb]
  12. Green, N. B., and T. K. Pauley. 1987. Amphibians and reptiles in West Virginia. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. xi + 241 pp.
  13. Griffith, H., A. Ngo, and R. W. Murphy. 2000. A cladistic evaluation of the cosmopolitan genus <i>Eumeces</i> Wiegmann (Reptilia, Squamata, Scincidae). Russian Journal of Herpetology 7(1):1-16.
  14. Hotchkin, P. E., C. D. Camp, and J. L. Marshall. 2001. Aspects of the life history and ecology of the coal skink, <i>Eumeces anthracinus</i>, in Georgia. Journal of Herpetology 35:145-148.
  15. Hulse, A. C., C. J. McCoy, and E. Censky. 2001. Amphibians and reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. 419 pp.
  16. Johnson, T. R. 2000. The amphibians and reptiles of Missouri. Second edition. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. 400 pp.
  17. Mount, R. H. 1975. The reptiles and amphibians of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn, Alabama. vii + 347 pp.
  18. Palmer, W. M., and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Reptiles of North Carolina. North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  19. Smith, H. M. 1946. Handbook of lizards. Lizards of the United States and Canada. Cornell univ. Press, Ithaca. xxi + 557 pp.
  20. Smith, H. M. 2005. <i>Plestiodon</i>: a replacement name for most members of the genus <i>Eumeces</i> in North America. Journal of Kansas Herpetology 14:15-16.
  21. Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.
  22. Walley, H. D. 1998. <i>Eumeces anthracinus</i>. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 658:1-6.