BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary
Plestiodon skiltonianus
Western Skink
| Scientific Name: | Plestiodon skiltonianus Baird and Girard, 1852 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name Synonyms: |
Eumeces skiltonianus
|
||||||||||
| English Name: | Western Skink | ||||||||||
| Classification / Taxonomy | |||||||||||
| Scientific Name - 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. | ||||||||||
| Classification Level: | Species | ||||||||||
| Taxonomy Comments: | March 2, 2010 - changed from Eumeces skiltonianus to Plestiodon skiltonianus as per NatureServe (DW). | ||||||||||
| Species Group: | Vertebrate Animal | ||||||||||
| Species Code: | R-PLSK | ||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Conservation Status / Legal Designation | |||||||||||
| Global Status: | G5 (Feb 2016) | ||||||||||
| Provincial Status: | S3S4 (Mar 2018) | ||||||||||
| BC List: | Blue | ||||||||||
| Provincial FRPA list: | |||||||||||
| Provincial Wildlife Act: | |||||||||||
| COSEWIC Status: | Special Concern (Nov 2014) | ||||||||||
| SARA Schedule: | 1 - Special Concern (Jan 2005) | ||||||||||
| General Status Canada: | 3 - Sensitive (2005) | ||||||||||
| Ecology & Life History | |||||||||||
| General Description: | |||||||||||
| Global Reproduction Comments: | In Utah, mates in May or June, lays eggs in July, eggs hatch in August. Clutch size 2-6 (Nussbaum et al. 1983). Female guards eggs and stays with hatchlings until they disperse from nest. | ||||||||||
| Global Ecology Comments: | Secretive. Life history not well known. | ||||||||||
| Migration Characteristics: (Global / Provincial) | |||||||||||
|
Nonmigrant: Local Migrant: Distant Migrant: Within Borders Migrant: |
Y / N / N / na / |
||||||||||
| Habitats: (Type / Subtype / Dependence) |
Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Facultative - frequent use
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Facultative - frequent use Forest / Mixed Forest (deciduous/coniferous mix) / Facultative - occasional use Grassland/Shrub / Antelope-brush Steppe / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Grassland / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Meadow / Facultative - frequent use Grassland/Shrub / Sagebrush Steppe / Facultative - frequent use Riparian / Gravel Bar / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Forest / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Herbaceous / Unknown Riparian / Riparian Shrub / Unknown Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Facultative - frequent use Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Talus / Facultative - frequent use Stream/River / Stream/River / Facultative - frequent use Subterranean / Sub-soil / Obligate |
||||||||||
| Global Habitat Comments: | Habitats include grassland, chaparral, pinyon-juniper woodland, open pine or pine-oak woods, and rocky areas near streams (Stebbins 2003); the species is partial to open wooded foothills and is usually associated with rocks, under which it takes shelter (also digs burrows in soil). Eggs are laid in burrows or areas excavated by the female under rocks and stones. | ||||||||||
| Food Habits: |
Invertivore: Adult, Immature
|
||||||||||
| Global Food Habits Comments: | Feeds on a wide variety of insects (crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, flies, etc), spiders and earthworms. | ||||||||||
| Global Phenology: |
Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Hibernates/aestivates: Adult, Immature |
||||||||||
| Global Phenology Comments: | Inactive in cold winter weather; duration of inactive period varies with local climate. | ||||||||||
| Provincial Phenology: (1st half of month/ 2nd half of month) |
|||||||||||
| Colonial Breeder: | N | ||||||||||
| Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): | 24/ / | ||||||||||
| Elevation (m) (min / max): |
Global:
Provincial: |
||||||||||
| Distribution | |||||||||||
| Endemic: | N | ||||||||||
| Global Range Comment: | The range extends from south-central British Columbia to northwestern Baja California, from the Pacific coast to western Montana, Idaho, eastern Utah, and north-central Arizona, including various islands off the west coast of California and Baja California (Grismer 2002, Stebbins 2003). Elevational range is from sea level (California) to about 2,530 meters (8,300 feet) (southern Utah, southern Nevada, northern Arizona) (Tanner 1988, Stebbins 2003). | ||||||||||
| Authors / Contributors | |||||||||||
| Global Information Author: | Hammerson, G. | ||||||||||
| Last Updated: | Aug 26, 2005 | ||||||||||
| Provincial Information Author: | |||||||||||
| Last Updated: | |||||||||||
| References and Related Literature | |||||||||||
B.C. Ministry of Environment. Recovery Planning in BC. B.C. Minist. Environ. Victoria, BC. |
|||||||||||
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. |
|||||||||||
COSEWIC. 2002j. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the western skink Eumeces skiltonianus in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 19 pp. |
|||||||||||
Nussbaum, R.A., E.D. Brodie, Jr., and R.M. Storm. 1983. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. University Press of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. 332 pp. |
|||||||||||
Ovaska, K, S. Lennart, C Engelstoft, L. Matthias, E. Wind and J. MacGarvie. 2004. Best Management Practices for Amphibians and Reptiles in Urban and Rural Environments in British Columbia. Ministry of Water Land and Air Protection, Ecosystems Standards and Planning, Biodiversity Branch |
|||||||||||
Rutherford, P.L., and P.T. Gregory. 2001. Habitat Use and Movement Patterns of Northern Alligator Lizards and Western Skinks in Southeastern British Columbia. Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro, B.C. Minist. Environ, Lands and Parks, B.C. Fish. in partnership with Creston Valley Wildl. Manage. Area, Columbia Basin Trust and Univ. Victoria. 52pp. |
|||||||||||
Stebbins, R. C. 1985a. A field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Second edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xiv + 336 pp. |
|||||||||||
Tanner, W. W. 1988. Eumeces skiltonianus. Cat. Am. Amph. Rep. 447:1-4. |
|||||||||||
Tanner, W.W. 1957. A taxonomic and ecological study of the western skink (Eumeces skiltonianus). Great Basin Naturalist 17(3-4):59-94. |
|||||||||||
The Reptiles of British Columbia: Western Skink, Eumeces skiltonianus. 2004. Univ. coll. of the Cariboo, and B.C. Minist. Water, Land and Air Prot. Online. Available: http://www.bcreptiles.ca/lizards/westskink.htm |
|||||||||||
Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2005. Species Summary: Plestiodon skiltonianus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 17, 2024).