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Plestiodon anthracinus pluvialis (Cope, 1880)
Southern Coal Skink
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G5T5
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Moderate Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 4
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Seepage bogs and mesic-wet pine flatwoods
This is a moderately-sized skink with adults ranging 5.0-6.5 cm (2.0-2.5 in) in body length and 12.7-17.9 cm (5.0-7.0 in) in total length. Mature females grow to slightly larger sizes than males. As in other skinks, the scales are smooth, giving a glossy appearance to the entire lizard. The body has four thin, light lines extending from the head to the hindlimbs or onto the tail. Two of these lines begin along the upper lips or at the ear openings and extend along the lower sides; the other two begin just above the eyes and extend along the corners of the back and sides. The back varies from olive-gray to brown and may have dark, thin lines extending along it between the light lines. The spaces between the light lines on the sides are dark brown or black, from which the name coal skink is derived. The belly is gray or bluish-gray. The lips and lower parts of the faces of adult males turn bright orange during the breeding season, and the orange may extend back to the front limbs. Those areas of the head and shoulders are often salmon-colored in adult females. Juveniles are darker than adults, often virtually black without any markings, and have blue tails. Hatchlings average 2.0-2.5 cm (0.8-1.0 in) in body length.
Unlike other Georgia skinks, coal skinks have only a single scale (postmental scale) in the midline of the lower jaw immediately behind the chin (mental) scale. Other skinks of this genus have two such scales. There are no whitish or light-gray lines on the head, although there may be orange lines in juveniles; except for old individuals, other skinks of this genus have whitish lines on their heads. Further, the heads of adult male coal skinks are never enlarged, but remain small and conical, even during the breeding season, unlike other Georgia skinks in this genus. Southern coal skinks are differentiated from northern coal skinks by having lip scales with light centers and dark edges rather than uniformly colored, however this character is often temporarily obscured by the orange facial coloration males obtain during the breeding season. Also, the tails of juvenile southern’s are blue rather than indigo or violet.
This lizard requires the moist conditions found in or near mesic or wet pine flatwoods, bogs, and the edges of seepage streams.
Small insects and their eggs, other arthropods, and worms are consumed.
The mating season begins during the winter, usually by late January, and extends until early April. Males treat their mates rather rudely during courtship, biting them on the back of the neck and shaking them violently. Females typically lay four-eight eggs in the spring under cover or underground and remain with them until hatching, which takes place in midsummer. Sexual maturity is reached in two years. Coal skinks are active throughout the year. During the winter, these skinks come out to bask when air temperatures exceed approximately 13°C (55°F). These are ground-dwelling lizards, and, unlike Georgia’s other members of this genus, they typically do not climb. They forage in the leaf-litter zone of the forest floor and disappear underground when alarmed. Individuals may also enter water to escape predators. Documented predators include snakes, large lizards, and mammals. Coal skinks are like other lizards in that their tails break easily when attacked.
This lizard may be encountered in any month of the year in Georgia, but because activity peaks during late winter and early spring, presence surveys focused then provide the best chance for success. Individuals may be found under cover objects, such as logs. Drift fences equipped with either funnel or pitfall traps are effective at capturing southern coal skinks.
The distribution is very spotty and probably underestimated given the secretive nature of this species. West of the Mississippi River, southern coal skinks can be found from central Missouri and eastern Kansas south to northeastern Louisiana and eastern Texas. Isolated occurrences are known from Mississippi, Alabama, the western Florida panhandle, and Georgia. Populations in Georgia are known from the western Fall Line Sandhills region and the Americus area. Two specimens recently found just NW of Atlanta (Paulding and Cherokee counties) appear to be this subspecies, too.
This is a very secretive and seldom-encountered lizard. Whether this is due to the actual rareness of the species or its ability to go unnoticed is not known. Habitat alteration, including shrub encroachment resulting from fire suppression, is likely the greatest threat.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | None | None |
| Specific Threat | Fire & fire suppression | None | None |
A bog site on Sandhills Wildlife Management Area represents the only known protected population in the state.
With only a handful of known occurrences in the Georgia, surveys to locate additional populations are warranted. The habitats in which Georgia southern coal skinks are found are highly susceptible to hardwood succession in the absence of fire, thus controlled burning is an important management tool for restoring and maintaining these habitats.
Camp, C. D. 2008. Coal Skink: Eumeces (Plestiodon) anthracinus. Pp. 302-304 In Jensen, J. B., C. D. Camp, W. Gibbons, and M. J. Elliott (eds.). Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia. University of Georgia Press, Athens. 575 p.
Trauth, S. E. 1994. Reproductive cycles in two Arkansas skinks in the genus Eumeces (Sauria: Scincidae). Proceedings of the Arkansas Academy of Science 48:210-218.
Walley, H. D. 1998. Eumeces anthracinus. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles 658:1-6.
John B. Jensen and Carlos D. Camp (adapted from Camp, 2008)
4/18/2018