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Scincella lateralis

(Say in James, 1823)

Little Brown Skink

G5Secure Found in 20 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.105035
Element CodeARACH03010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyScincidae
GenusScincella
Synonyms
Leiolopisma lateraleLygosoma laterale
Other Common Names
Ground Skink (EN) little brown skink (EN)
Concept Reference
Jackson, N. D., and C. C. Austin. 2009. The combined effects of rivers and refugia generate extreme cryptic fragmentation within the common ground skink (Scincella lateralis). Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution 64(2):409-428.
Taxonomic Comments
Jackson and Austin (2009) presented evidence of significant genetic structure among populations of S. lateralis as well as of gene flow between both haplotype clades and population clusters inferred from microsatellite and nuclear sequence data (Crother 2017). In older literature, this species was referred to as Lygosoma laterale or Leiolopisma laterale.
Conservation Status
Review Date2005-08-28
Change Date1996-10-28
Edition Date2005-08-28
Edition AuthorsHammerson, G.
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Range Extent Comments
The large range extends from New Jersey to southern Florida, west to Kansas, Texas, and northeastern Mexico, north to southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and southern Ohio, and south to the Gulf Coast (Brooks 1975, Conant and Collins 1991).
Occurrences Comments
This species is represented by thousands of occurrences or subpopulations.
Threat Impact Comments
No major threats have been identified.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats; generally it occurs in areas with ground cover (grass, leaf litter, forest floor debris, rocks, etc.), including dry upland woodlands as well as stream and pond edges (Bartlett and Bartlett 1999); often it can be found under ground surface cover. It goes underground in cold weather and may seek cover in water when pursued. Eggs are laid in moist humus, logs, rotting vegetation, or under rocks (Ashton and Ashton 1985, Minton 1972).

Ecology

Home range may be less than 20 sq m (Ashton and Ashton 1991).

Reproduction

Lays up to about 5 clutches of 1-7 eggs, March-August (fewer clutches in north). Eggs hatch in 1-2 months. Female does not stay with eggs after laying. Sexually mature in 1st year (Fitch 1970).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - ConiferForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedGrassland/herbaceousCropland/hedgerowSuburban/orchard
Palustrine Habitats
Riparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
MarylandS5Yes
New JerseyS3Yes
FloridaS4Yes
KansasS5Yes
North CarolinaS5Yes
TexasS5Yes
MissouriS5Yes
GeorgiaS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
OhioS4Yes
VirginiaS5Yes
MississippiS5Yes
DelawareS1Yes
AlabamaS5Yes
ArkansasS5Yes
IndianaS3Yes
OklahomaSNRYes
IllinoisS5Yes
West VirginiaS3Yes
LouisianaS5Yes
KentuckyS5Yes
TennesseeS5Yes
Roadless Areas (20)
Arkansas (8)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainOuachita National Forest9,755
Clifty CanyonOzark-St. Francis National Forest1,963
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Gee CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest7,957
Little BlakelyOuachita National Forest3,342
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
PenhookOzark-St. Francis National Forest6,566
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Gum BayApalachicola National Forest11,645
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Helton CreekChattahoochee National Forest2,348
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Louisiana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Saline Bayou W & S River CorridorKisatchie National Forest5,355
North Carolina (5)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Pond Pine BCroatan National Forest2,961
Sheep Ridge AdditionCroatan National Forest5,808
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
South Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Big MountainSumter National Forest2,337
Texas (1)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
References (23)
  1. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1985. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part two. Lizards, turtles & crocodilians. Windward Pub., Inc., Miami. 191 pp.
  2. Ashton, R. E., Jr., and P. S. Ashton. 1991. Handbook of reptiles and amphibians of Florida. Part two. Lizards, turtles & crocodilians. Revised second edition. Windward Pub., Inc., Miami. 191 pp.
  3. Barbour, R. W. 1971. Amphibians and reptiles of Kentucky. Univ. Press of Kentucky, Lexington. x + 334 pp.
  4. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999a. A field guide to Texas reptiles & amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xviii + 331 pp.
  5. Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999b. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. xvi + 278 pp.
  6. Brooks, G. R. 1975. Scincella lateralis. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 169.1-169.4.
  7. Collins, J. T. 1982. Amphibians and reptiles in Kansas. Second edition. Univ. Kansas Mus. Nat. Hist., Pub. Ed. Ser. 8. xiii + 356 pp.
  8. 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.
  9. Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to reptiles and amphibians: eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 450 pp.
  10. 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.
  11. 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
  12. 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.
  13. 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]
  14. Dixon, J. R. 2000. Amphibians and reptiles of Texas. Second edition. Texas A & M University Press, College Station. 421 pp.
  15. Dundee, H. A., and D. A. Rossman. 1989. The amphibians and reptiles of Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge.
  16. Fitch, H. S. 1970. Reproductive cycles of lizards and snakes. Univ. Kansas Museum Natural History Miscellaneous Publication 52:1-247.
  17. Greer, A. E. 1974. The genetic relationships of the scincid lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series 22, no. 31:1-67.
  18. Jackson, N. D., and C. C. Austin. 2009. The combined effects of rivers and refugia generate extreme cryptic fragmentation within the common ground skink (<i>Scincella lateralis</i>). Evolution: International Journal of Organic Evolution 64(2):409-428.
  19. Johnson, T. R. 2000. The amphibians and reptiles of Missouri. Second edition. Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City. 400 pp.
  20. Minton, S. A., Jr. 1972. Amphibians and reptiles of Indiana. Indiana Academy Science Monographs 3. v + 346 pp.
  21. Minton, S. A., Jr. 2001. Amphibians & reptiles of Indiana. Revised second edition. Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis. xiv + 404 pp.
  22. 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.
  23. Trauth, S. E., H. W. Robison, and M. V. Plummer. 2004. The amphibians and reptiles of Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press.