iSk
ILLINOIS
NATURAL
HISTORY
SURVEY
The Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, in Illinois:
Range and Possible Recent History
Ralph W. Axtell and Carol A. Bryant
Illinois Natural History Survey
Biological Notes 142
September 2006
Illinois Natural History Survey, David L. Thomas, Chief
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Editor: Charles Warw/ick
Cover photograph: Ground skink from Illinois Natural History
Survey Image Archives.
Suggested citation:
Axtell, R.W., and C.A. Bryant. 2006. The ground skink, Scin-
cella lateralis, in Illinois: range and possible recent history.
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes 142. 12 pp.
Authors' addresses:
R.W. Axtell
Department of Biological Sciences,
Southern Illinois University,
Edw/ardsville, Illinois 62026
raxtell@siue.edu
C.A. Bryant
7841 South Panther Creek Road,
Mt. Olive, Illinois 62069
cabryant2@frontiernet.net
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ILLINOIS
NATURAL
HISTORY
SURVEY
The Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, in Illinois:
Range and Possible Recent History
Ralph W. Axtell and Carol A. Bryant
Illinois Natural History Survey
Biological Notes 142
September 2006
CONTENTS
Abstract 1
Introduction 1
Methods 1
Scincella lateralis (Say) 1
Type 1
Type Locality 1
Taxonomic Status 1
Orientation and Synthesis of Illinois Distribution 1
Presumed Barriers to Gene Flow and Holocene History 4
Dispersal Mode and Distributional Status 4
Population Density 4
Earliest IllinoisVoucher 4
Fossil Records in Illinois 4
Erroneous, Questioned, and Historic Records 4
Extinction Prone Populations 5
Map Symbols 5
Locality Vouchers 5
Abbreviations Used 5
Locality Vouchers 5
Acknowledgments 9
Literature Cited 10
ABSTRACT
The Illinois distribution of Scincella lateralis is portrayed on a shaded relief map. From map portrayal, this lizard appears distribu-
tionally uncommon and probably relictual in the north, common and distributionally continuous in the south. Some northern popula-
tions may be nearing local or regional extinction, while southern populations are considered secure. We speculate that northern range
expansion probably took place during the warmer, drier Holocene "Xerothermic" interval from ca 8,000 to ca 4.000 years BP. The
current range in Illinois cannot be interpreted to support a recent (ca 100 year) Global Warming Hypothesis, but it can be interpreted to
support some regional cooling after 4.000 years BP, and later (from ca 1650 until about 1850 AD.)
INTRODUCTION
As with RWA"s work on Texas lizards, this project was
initiated to gamer most Illinois lizard locality information
that has accumulated over the past 200 years, and to expand
our understanding of the actual areal distribution of the
taxa involved. Such information cannot come from county
distribution maps. With this information, we should be able
to propose hypotheses for both the historic occupation and the
current population status of lizards within the state. Hopeful-
ly it will also lead to more directed range investigations and
serve as a verified baseline from which future distributional
studies can proceed.
METHODS
We contacted several museums in the United States and
requested their Illinois Scincella lateralis locality records,
collectors, and dates of collection. With this information, we
converted all localities to geographic coordinates (lat-long.)
and elevations using USGS l:24,000-scale maps or computer
sites. Site error in this process was, in most cases, probably
no more than one to three kilometers from the actual point of
collection. These coordinates were then converted to decimal
degrees, and Research System's IDL software was used to
plot the points (as dots) on a shaded relief map elaborated by
Ray Sterner of the Applied Physics Laboratory. Johns Hop-
kins University. As far as we know, none of the coordinates
below were generated with a GPS instrument.
Scincella lateralis (Say)
Ground Skink (see Fig. 1 on page 2)
Sciiicus lateralis Say 1823:324-325. Original description (a
footnote in James 1823).
Lygosoma lateralis Dumen] and Bibron 1839:719. New
combination.
Oligosoma laterale. Cope 1875:44. New combination.
Leiolopisma laterale. Jordan 1899:201. New combination.
Scincella laterale. M'\n\eman 1950:19. New combination and
new generic name proposed.
Scincella lateralis, Greer 1974:7. Gender agreement change.
Synonymy above shows the variety of names used over time
and is not intended to be complete.
Type— A specimen (holotype) was originally placed in the
â– 'Philadelphia Museum" (= Peale Museum, not the Philadel-
phia Academy of Sciences) by Thomas Say (Say 1823), with
no number reported. The disposition of this specimen, if it
still exists, is currently unknown. Cope (1900:624) errone-
ously considered and reported USNM 3152. collected on the
"Arkansas River" (no state given) by Samuel W. Woodhouse
as the type.
Type Locality— "Banks of [the] Mississippi River below
Cape Girardeau. Missouri" (As far as we can determine, this
statement first appeared in Stejneger and Barbour [1917]. and
it was presumably initiated by them, but without comment.
It did not appear in the original description, and we have not
found it in any prior publication.). Most subsequent workers
have interpreted this to mean "near" Cape Girardeau in Mis-
souri, but this interpretation is questioned. Robert Reynolds
of the National Museum and the senior author are investigat-
ing this problem.
Taxonomic Status— The species is considered monotypic.
See Brooks ( 1975) for comment on variation and most eariier
references.
Orientation and Syntliesis of Illinois Distribution — (In-
terpretations based on map patterns, published literature, and
knowledge of Illinois environments). A diurnal, terrestrial,
subheliothermic (= secretive), insectivorous (scurry and grab
predator), biparentai. oviparous lizard belonging to the genus
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes
Scincella in the family Scincidae (Greer, 1974). Warm season
temperatures are probably more important for distributional
limitation within Illinois, than is precipitation. White and
Jacobs (1968, 30-year record) show a 180 frost free day line
at approximately the northern edge of the current distribution.
Figure 1. The ground skink. Scincella lateralis, from Young County, Texas. Photo courtes) of [103 D Hit
bitts. Texas Herpetological Society.
Figure 2. Habitat of Scincella lateralis (m, around, and under logs) Clark
County, Illinois. (Photo courtesy C. Drew Foster, Santa Barbara Zoological
Gardens).
Warm season (April to mid October) precipitation varies from
ca 35 cm ( 1 4 in. ) in the north to ca 37 cm ( 1 5 in.) in the south,
with a slightly higher concentration from late March to June.
East-west precipitation is even less variable across the state.
Areas inhabited are now generally in deciduous forest regions
(see Kiichler 1964),
which generally have
considerable leafy
ground cover. The
lizards feed and sun
as they move between
leafy patches on or near
the forest floor (Fig. 2).
They seek burrows or
rock cover when body
temperatures approach
levels at which normal
activity is hampered.
Grassland areas in the
state (most of which
have now been con-
verted to agriculture)
were probably never
inhabited. Historically,
the Embarras, Little
Wabash, Saline, Cache,
and Big Muddy River
basins appear to have
been populated in the
east, while parts of the
Mississippi and Illinois River basins were populated in
the west. Strangely, there is no evidence that the Kas-
kaskia River basin has ever been populated. By using
the term "river basin" we do not imply that Scincella is a
floodplain denizen, for in Illinois, it appears to shun flat
areas, even though fairly extensive floodplain forested
zones are still present locally. The only known flood-
plain site in the list below is at Fults (Monroe Co.), but
we presume that this material came from the bluff east
of Fults rather than from the village itself.
Note that an interesting range discontinuity appears in
the western Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois. It in-
cludes both eastern Union and western Johnson counties
(see map. Fig. 3). This could be an actual range gap or
an artifact of minimal collecting in the region.
September 2006 Axtell and Bryant: The Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, in Illinois: Range and Possible Recent History
42
Figure 3. Shaded relief map of Illinois (courtesy. Ray Sterner with modifications by CAB)
showing known distribution (red dots) of vouchered Scincella lateralis.
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes
Presumed Barriers to Gene Flow and Holocene History—
If this skink is absent from floodplains in Illinois (and by ex-
tension adjacent states as well), the widest of these floodplains
must have presented formidable barriers when Scincella popu-
lations first moved northward into the state. The source of
these founding populations remains an interesting unanswered
question, but one that might be answered by DNA analysis of
surrounding populations in adjacent states. We doubt that any
founders could have come from direct crossovers, but rather
favor a hypothesis of flood dispersal from sites along water-
ways upstream in adjacent states (Missouri or Kentucky).
We speculate that much (if not all) of the more recent Holo-
cene northward range expansions took place during the warm-
er, drier, "Xerothermic" period (from ca 8,000 to ca 4,000
years BP; Winkler et al. 1986). Subsequently (ca 4,000 BP to
present), and particularly during the 'Little Ice Age" (ca 1650
to 1850 AD, Brugam and Swain 2000), most of these earlier
populations appear to have become regionally fragmented,
with small, disjunct relicts continuing to persist over fairly ex-
tensive areas. Many of these disjuncts seem to be associated
with limestone outcrops or sand areas (see Holman and Aral
1962). The recent discovery (2002) of subtantial populations
near Mill Creek in southeastern Clark County by Drew Foster
and Steve Mullin of Eastern Illinois University, along with
several old records in the upper Embarras and Little Wabash
basins in the Effingham region, tends to substantiate the much
older (1880) Wabash Co. (Mt. Carmel, USNM 12057) record
between these northern relicts and the Shawnee Hills popula-
tions in extreme southern Illinois.
Dispersal Mode and Distributional Status— The map
indicates that past dispersal has been mainly riparian (parallel
to drainage lines), with populations usually occurring along
adjacent upland areas with sandy or rocky (sandstone and
limestone) substrates. Heated rocks probably extend daily
activity 15 or more minutes in areas farther north (pers. obs.).
We consider the current distributional status in Illinois as
contractive in the west and essentially static in the south and
east (the Clark Co. population may be expanding.). This
would not support (at least regionally) a recent global warm-
ing hypothesis.
Population Density— Within areas of occurrence where the
authors have observed animals, population density seemed
quite low. One or two individuals were seen, under the best
of conditions, during several observational hours in the field.
However, both Smith (1961) and Phillips et al. (1999) consid-
ered this lizard abundant in southern Illinois, and Foster and
Mullin (see above) reported many individuals of both sexes
and all age/size classes in their recent Clark County survey.
Earliest Illinois Voucher— A specimen (now missing) in the
U.S. National Museum of Natural History (USNM 3111)
taken by Robert Kennicott from "Southern Illinois," in 1857
oreariy 1858 (cataloged on 21 July 1858), appears to be the
earliest museum voucher from the state.
Fossil Records in Illinois— None known.
Erroneous, Questioned, and Historic Records— The
following records are considered erroneous (collection or
museum number, with reasons in parentheses): Cumberland
Co.-Rose Hill (UIMNH 561 12-3; no Rose Hill has been
found in Cumberland Co., but a Rose Hill is present in Jasper
Co., the next county to the south). Most authors have cited
Peters' (1942) Cumberland Co. paper as evidence of Scince-
lla occurrence in that county, but Peters (1942:183) clearly
stated: "Several species are known to occur in the counties
immediately surrounding Cumberland, which have not been
collected here yet." Peters then listed Leiolopisma unicolor
(= S. lateralis) as one of those species. Wayne Co.— Sam A.
Baker State Park (UIMNH 16434-5; no park with this name
was found in Wayne County, Illinois; however, there is a Sam
A. Baker State Park in Wayne Co. Missouri; thus, we consider
this a recording error). Both Cumberland and Wayne counties
have been removed from the state county list. Questioned
record: W Dunlap Lake, Edwardsville (SIUE 2584); this
urban habitat is considered unnatural. Historic records: The
old Mount Carmel, Wabash Co. record (see above), which
was not included in Phillips et al. (1999), now appears to be
a viable Illinois record. Interestingly, Minton (2001) showed
two old southwestern Indiana records from Gibson (no data)
and Knox (USNM 10906: Wheatland, in 1881) counties. We
consider this further evidence supporting the Mt. Carmel,
Illinois record. Cook Co.- Aux Plaines River (= Des Plaines
River), West Northfield (USNM 501 1), and West Northfield
(USNM 9302). These two vouchers were credited to Robert
Kennicott, and were sent to the Smithsonian Institution in
the late 1850s or early 1860s. Two separate records, from
the same place, sent at different times, indicate they may not
have been erroneous. However, they cannot be explained
September 2006
Axtell and Bryant: The Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, in Illinois: Range and Possible Recent History
without extending the present known range approximately
250 kilometers northward to the Chicago area. Three other Il-
linois lizards. Cnemidophorus sexlmeatus. Eumeces fasciatus.
and Ophisauriis attenuatiis, all apparently occurred in the
Chicago area at some time in the past (Smith 1961 : Phillips,
et al. 1999). so these Cook Co. records, although viewed with
scepticism, could be valid. Schmidt and Necker (1935), and
Anton (1999) both considered Kennicott's report (Kennicott
1855) of this lizard in Cook Co. erroneous.
Extinction Prone Populations— The presumed popula-
tions in both Mason and Menard counties are well separated
from other known Illinois populations, so we consider them
isolated northern disjuncts, and probably on their way toward
eventual extinction, unless sizable local populations still ex-
ist. Similarly, the populations in Calhoun and Pike counties,
which are isolated by large rivers (the Mississippi to the west
and the Illinois to the east), and the populations in Jersey and
western Madison counties, which appear separated from pop-
ulations farther south by several uninhabited gaps, are also in
jeopardy (truncated gene flow). To the east, the presumptive
populations in the Embarras and Little Wabash River basins
are considered temporal disjuncts also. Records from the Big
Muddy basin and two smaller streams to the west may also
be relictual. but closer examination in these areas may reveal
a more continuous distribution. The newly discovered Clark
County population would appear quite viable if the surround-
ing forested areas are as extensive as 1 : 24,000 topographic
maps indicate. However, we suggest that only the extensive
populations in the Shawnee Hills area of extreme southern
Illinois appear large and genetically interactive enough to
continue for extended periods of occupation in the state.
Map Symbols (Fig. 3)— Red dots with white margins = plot-
ted localities. One dot may represent one or more adjacent
sites, and the diameter of each dot covers ca 4.4 km (ca 2.7
miles) of map surface.
Locality Vouchers— Twelve museums and collections were
canvassed for the Illinois Scincella records used herein (see
list below). Seven of these (the remainder had no Illinois
records) had records totaling ca 88 localities. An M preceding
a locality indicates that the locality appears on the map. An N
preceding a locality indicates that it has not been mapped. An
asterisk (*) preceding a locality indicates that it is too general-
ized for accurate mapping, and a question mark (?) indicates
that the voucher locality has not been found. An X preceding
a locality indicates that the record has not been mapped in
the listed county, but has been mapped in an adjacent county
where it is listed and marked with an M. Multiple localities
less than 4.8 kilometers apart are listed, but do not appear
as separate dots on the map. Coordinates of latitude and
longitude (those enclosed in brackets), were estimated by the
authors (as most records were traditional). This undoubtedly
invites some error in site accuracy, but with the map scale
used, it is probably minimal. Parentheses enclose localities
not estimated. This was done so all localities could be trans-
ferred digitally to the landform map. The year of collection
has been added after the museum acronym. When old collec-
tion sites or areas are revisited, such dates can inform future
workers of occupational longevity if the organism is still pres-
ent, or about when the organism disappeared if it is no longer
present. Users of the voucher list are cautioned that some
cited localities may be duplicates based on distances derived
from different base points. Some original citations may have
been slightly modified so that a population center, highway,
road junction, or stream appears first; this is then followed by
distances and other descriptive information.
Abbreviations Used— BP = before present; ca = circa;
Cr = creek; N. S. E, W = north, south, east, and west; jet = jet;
km = kilometer(s); m = meter(s); mi = miles; nr = near; IL
= Illinois state highways; rec. = recreation; R = river; RR =
railroad; US = federal highways.
LOCALITY VOUCHERS
Calhoun Co.
M Hardin [mapped at 39°09"25"N - 90°37"30"W, 140 m]
M " ", 1 mi W [mapped at 39°09- 10"N - 90°38'20"W, 226 m]
M " ", 8.1 km S- 0.5 km W bridge (38°05'10'-N-90°37-10"W, 207 m)
M Meppen Catholic Church, 0.25 km N - 0.1 km W (38°59'57""N - 90°36'22"W, 160 m)
UIMNH-1950
UIMNH-1950
SIUE-1983
SIUE-1983
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes
Clark Co.
M T09N-R12W, sec. 5, S of Joe's Fork, Mill Cr. [mapped at 39°15'35"N - 87°44'50"W, ca 168 m] INHS 18494—2002
Clay Co.
M Edgewood. 3.5 km SW on S side IL 37 nr RR [mapped at 38°53'55"N - 88°4r26"W, 165 m] INHS- 1998
Cook Co. (Historic records; have been questioned)
N Aux Plaines River [= Des Plaines R], West Northfield
N West Northfield
USNM- 1859-60?
USNM- 1859-60?
Cumberland Co. (deleted from state list)
X Rose Hill [mapped in Jasper Co.^
UIMNH-1942
Effingham Co.
M Effingham. 4 mi NW [mapped at 39°09'36"N - 88°36'45"W, 180 m]
M Hill. 4 mi N [mapped at 38°58'45"N - 88°32'36"W, 150 m]
M Mason [mapped at 38°57'15"N - 88°37'30"W]
INHS- 1954
INHS- 1960
INHS -1947
Gallatin Co.
M Pounds Hollow Lake [mapped at 37°37'N - 1
8°16'25"W, 152 m]
INHS- 1947, SIUC- 1953
Hardin Co.
M
M
M
M
M
M
M
Battery Rock, 3.8 km E Lamb [mapped at 37°31'52"N - 88°04'55"W, 137 m]
Cave-in-Rock, 2 mi N [mapped at 37°29'20"N - 88°10'10"W, 168 m]
", 3.5 mi E [mapped at 37''29'35"N - 88°07' 10"W, 168 m]
Kane Creek [mapped at Cane Creek, 37°32'28"N - 88°06'40"W, 158 m]
Karbers Ridge [mapped at 37°34'47"N - 88°20'05"W, 184 m]
Lamb, 2.5 mi E [mapped at 37''30'37"N - 88°05'30"W, 1 16 m]
Rosiclair, 2 mi N - 3 mi W [mapped at 37°27'38"N - 88°24'20"W, 137 m]
TCWC-1949
UIMNH-1949
INHS- 1953
UIMNH-1950
INHS- 1950
UIMNH-1950
UIMNH-1950
Jackson Co.
M Campbell Lake Swamp [mapped at 37°56'27"N - 89°10'36" W, ca 113 m]
M Cedar Creek, TIOS - R2W, NE 1/4, Sec 17 [mapped at 37''39'27"N - 89°20'56"W]
M Etherton, 0.25 mi S, jet IL127 [mapped at 37°40'55"N - 89°19'20"W, 122 m]
M Fountain Bluff [mapped at 37°42'N - 89°29'15"W]
M Giant City State Park, 0.5 mi E [mapped at 37°37'17"N - 89°10'38"W, 198 m]
* Kincaid Ridge
M Murphysboro [mapped at 37°45'05"N - 89°20"05"W]
M " ", 10 mi SW [mapped at 37°4r02"N - 89°28'45"W, 122 m]
M Natural Bridge Park [mapped at Pomona Natural Bridge, 37°38'54"N - 89°20'05"W]
M IL151,3miWof, nearAvaCave [mapped at 37°52'35"N - 89°32'43"W]
M Swallow Rock [mapped at 37°4r30"N - 89°24'20"W]
M (37°42' 17"N - 89°28"43"W)
SIUC- 1940
SIUC- 1963
SIUC- 1963
UIMNH- 1954
UIMNH-1954
SIUC- 1951
INHS -1942
INHS- 1977
SIUC- 1951
SIUC -1965
UIMNH- 1948
SIUE-1969
Jasper Co.
M Rose Hill [mapped on Lick Creek at 39°06'18"N - 88°09'23"W, 172 m]
M " ",3miW[mappedat39°06'45'"N-88°12'55"W]
INHS- 1942
INHS- 1942, UIMNH- 1948
September 2006
Axtell and Bryant: The Ground Skink, Scincella lateralis, in Illinois: Range and Possible Recent History
Jefferson Co.
M Mt. Vernon Reservoir, 2 mi N - 0.5 mi E [mapped at 38°19"15"N
M Woodlawn [mapped at 38°20"05"N - 89°0r45"W, 140 m]
°55'W]
SIUC-1963
INHS-1957
Jersey Co.
M Grafton, 0.7 mi N - 2.9 mi W [mapped at 38°59'15"N - 90°29"20'"W] SIUE- 1963
M " M mi Won IL 100 [mapped at 38=58'25"N-90°28'15"W] SIUE- 1963
M " ",1.1 miNonIL100(38°59'N-90°25'40"W) SIUE-1971
M Grafton Ferry, near; T6N, R13W, Sec, 12 [mapped at 38°58'05"N - 90°29'45"W] INHS- 1994
M jet Elsah Rd & River Highway, 0.8 km N - 0.75 km W (38''57'3r'N - 90°22'20"W, 168 m) SIUE- 1976
M Pere Marquette State Park, S part of Trail 19 [mapped at 38°58'25"N - 90°3r30"W, 168 m] SIUC- 1991
M (38°58'32"N - 90°30'07"W) SIUE- 1965
M (38°58'35"N - 90''28'20"W) SIUE- 1969
M (38°58'42"N-90°3r57"W) SIUE-1967
Johnson Co.
M Cedar Creek, T12S - R4E, Sec 3 [mapped at 37°29'50"N - 88°45"32"W, 134 m[
M Forman [mapped at 37°20' 1 0"N - 88°54' 1 5"W, 1 22 m]
X Olmsted [mapped in Pulaski Co.]
M Vienna [mapped at 37°25"N - 88°54"W, 122 m]
M " ", 3 mi SW [mapped at 37°22'55"N - 88°55'43"W]
M " ",4miE[mappedat37°24-35"N-88°49'22"W. 135 m]
UIMNH-I964
INHS- 1947, SIUC- 1960
SIUC- 1953
INHS- 1947, UIMNH- 1950
SIUC- 1964
INHS -1949
Madison Co.
M (38°48'15"N - 89°56"15"W) W of Dunlap Lake, Edwardsville [questioned record]
M (38°56'45"N-90°16"W)
SIUE- 1963
SIUE- 1965
Mason Co.
M Havana, 3.5 mi SE [mapped at40°l5"15"N - 90°0ri4"W, ca 148 m]
M Sand Ridge State Forest [mapped at campground at ca 40°23'25"N - 89°52'W, 152 m]
M T22N - R7W, NE 1/4, Sec 4 [mapped at 40°23'27"N - 89°53'14"W, ca 154 m]
INHS- 1968
INHS- 1975
INHS- 1961
Massac Co.
M jet IL 145 & IL 146, 8 mi S [mapped at 37°15'20"N - 88°40'28"W]
M New Columbia [mapped at 37°18"23" - 88°45'50"W, 122 m]
M Round Knob, 3 mi E [mapped at 37°16'N - 88°42'23"W, 152 m]
UIMNH- 1964
INHS- 1950
UIMNH -1948
Menard Co.
M Tallula [mapped at 39°56'35"N - 89°56'35"W, 183 m]
INHS- 1985
Monroe Co.
M Fults [mapped at 38°10'N-90°12'30"W, 128 m] UIMNH-1957
M " ",3miN[mappedat38°ir35"N-90°14'50"W, 128 m] INHS-1949
M " ", 3 mi S [mapped at 38°08'40"N - 90°10"W, 125 m] INHS-1949
M " ", Nature Preserve sign, 0.8 mi Son Bluff Rd [mapped at 38°09'23"N- 90 ° ir27"W, 122 m] SIUC-1991
M Valmeyer, 12 mi Son Bluff Road [mapped at 38°09'40"N - 90° ir45"W, 213 m] SIUE-1963
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes
Perry Co.
M Pinckneyville [mapped at 38°04'55"N - 89°23'05"W. 128 m]
INHS-1972
Pike Co. (New county record)
M Pearl RR crossing. 1 . 1 km S - 3 km W (39°26"58"N - 90°39'42"W, 165 m)
SIUE 2846, 47- 1982
Pope Co.
M Bell Smith Springs (mapped at 37°3riO"N-88°39'29"W] SIUC-1963
M " ".State Park [mapped at BSS Rec.Area; 37°3riO"N - 88°39'29"W] SIUC-1965
M Burden Falls [mapped 37°33'50"N - 88°38'32"W] SIUC- 1960
M Dixon Springs [mapped at 37°22'50"N - 88°40'22"W] INHS- 1947
M Eddyville [mapped at 37°30'12"N - 88°34'50"W] INHS- 1948
M " ".3miEorR6E-T12S, Sec 10 [mapped at 37°29'53"N-88°32'26"W] SIUC-1971
M Golconda [mapped at 37°2r45"N - 88°29'07"W, 122 m] INHS- 1947
M Hayes Creek Canyon [mapped at 37°29'15"N-88°37'15"W] SIUC-1995
M Herod [mapped at 37°34'58"N - 88°26'08"W] INHS- 1935, SIUC- 1951
M Indian Kitchen [mapped on Lusk Creek at 37°30'39"N - 88°3r35"W, 176 m] SIUC-1964
M Widemann Forest, Dixon Springs Exper. Station [mapped at 37°26'05"N - 88°40'W] UIMNH-1963
Pulaski Co.
M Olmsted [mapped at 37°10'44"N - 89°05'W]
M " ", 2 mi N [mapped at 37°12'25"N - 89°04'55"W, 137 m]
SIUC- 1953
INHS- 1953
Randolph Co. (New county record)
M Ruma, 1 .5 mi SW [mapped near Camp Creek at 38°06'49"N - 90°00'44"W, ca 140 m]
SIUE 2845 -1974
Richland Co.
N No specific locality (county record without verification)
Smith (1961)
St. Clair Co. (New county record)
M jet IL 161 & Old Lincoln Trail, 0.7 km S - 0.4 km E [mapped at 38°34'38"N - 90°02"07"W, 173 m]
SIUE 2885- 1961
Union Co.
M Alto Pass [mapped at 37°34'05"N - 89°18'50"W, 243 m] UIMNH- 1931
M Anna-Jonesboro State Park [mapped at 37°27'30"N - 89° 1 6' 10"W] SIUC- 1 95 1
M Jonesboro, 4 mi W [mapped on Green Creek at 37°27' 17"N - 89° 19'57"W, ca 1 14 m] UMMZ- 1947
* Pine Hills SIUC- 1957
M " ", grass behind Cabin # 1 [mapped at 37°32'28"N-89°26'15"W,ca 1 17 m] SIUC-1970
M " ".next to Otter Pond [mapped at 37°32'23"N-89°26'18"W] SIUC- 1961
M Pine Hills Road, Tl IS - R3W, Sec 33 [mapped at 37°30'50"N - 89°26'07"W] UIMNH- 1960
M " ", 1.1 roadmiEjctwithIL3[mappedat37°3r03"N-89°25'52"W, 134m] USNM-?
M Wolf Lake [mapped at 37°30"20"N - 89°25'30"W, 122 m] UIMNH- 1949
M " ",2miE[mappedat37°29'45"N-89°24'10"W, 122 m] UIMNH-1954
M 37°35'06"N - 89°26'22"W, 152 m SIUE- 1974
Wabash Co.
M Mount Carmel [mapped on Greathouse Creek at 38°26"23"N - 87°45'53"W, 137 m]
USNM-IJ
September 2006
Axtell and Bryant: The Ground Skink, Sciiwella Uiieralis. in Illinois: Range and Possible Recent History
Washington Co.
M Elkton (on fence post?) [mapped at 38°17"35"N - 89°32'45"W. 143 m]
SIUC- 1963
Wayne Co. (deleted from state list)
N Sam A. Baker State Park [erroneous record]
UIMNH-1950
Williamson Co.
* Big Muddy River near Herrin
M Stiritz [mapped at 37''50-22"N - 88°57' 13"W. 122 m]
SIUC- 1940
SIUC- 1939
No county identified
N Southern Illinois
N
UMMZ-I857or!
USNM-1857or8
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank all collectors for the many hours and years spent
gathering the material listed above. Much of what they have
assembled is now largely irreplaceable. To the museum and
collection personnel who supplied records for this account-
Richard Daniel of the University of Missouri; Chris Phil-
lips and Chris Mayer of the Illinois Natural History Survey
(INHS) and the University of Illinois Museum of Natural
History (UIMNH); Robert Reynolds and Steve Gotte of the
U.S. National Museum of Natural History (USNM); Greg
Schneider of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
(UMMZ); Jeff Stewart of the Southern Illinois University
Museum at Carbondale (SIUC); Kathryn Vaughn of the Texas
Cooperative Wildlife Collection (TCWC) at Texas A & M
University; Dr. Robert G. Webb, Department of Biological
Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso; and Scott Ballard,
District Heritage Biologist in the Illinopis Department of
Natural Resources, we extend our sincerest thanks and ap-
preciation. We also thank C. Drew Foster, now at the Santa
Barbara Zoological Garden in California, for information
and a photograph of Scincella habitat in Clark Co.. Illinois,
and Troy D. Hibbitts of the Texas Herpetologieal Society
who provided the Scincella photo for Figure 1 . The Illinois
landforms map is courtesy of Ray Sterner. Applied Physics
Laboratory. The Johns Hopkins University. Laurel. Maryland.
The SIUE Graduate School, the College of Arts and Sciences,
and the Department of Biological Sciences all contributed
funds toward publication, and the Department of Biological
Sciences provided material, space, and computer facilities, for
which we are whole-heartedly grateful.
Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes
LITERATURE CITED
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Acad. Sci. 92(3 &4):2 11-232.
Minton. S.A.. Jr. 2001. Amphibians and reptiles of Indiana.
Rev. 2nd Ed. Indiana Acad. Sci. Indianapolis, xiv + 404 pp.
Mittleman, M.B. 1950. The generic status of Scincus lateralis
Say, 1823. Herpetologica 6(2): 17-20.
Brooks, G. 1975. Scincella laieralis. Cat. Amer. Amph. and
Rept. 169.1-169.4
Peters, J.A. 1942. Reptiles and amphibians of Cumberland
County, Illinois. Copeia 1942(3): 182-183.
Brugam, R.B., and P. Swain 2000. Diatom indicators of peat-
land development at Pogonia Pond, Minnesota, USA. The
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Schmidt, K. P., and W.L. Necker 1935. Amphibians and
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57-77.
Greer. A.E., Jr. 1974. The generic relationships of the scincid
lizard genus Leiolopisma and its relatives. Australian J. Zool.,
Supp. Ser. 31:1-67.
Holman, J.A., and H.P. Arai 1962. Illinois range extension
of Lygosoma laterale (Say) and Matrix kirtlandi (Kennicott).
Herpetologica 18(3):210.
Jordan, D.S. 1899. A manual of the vertebrate animals of
the northern United States. 8th ed. A.C. McClurg and Co.,
Chicago, vi -i- 397 pp.
Kennicott, R. 1855. Catalogue of animals observed in Cook
County, Illinois. Illinois State Ag. Soc. Trans, for 1853-
1854, 1:577-595.
Smith, P. W. 1961. The amphibians and reptiles of Illinois.
Illinois Nat. Hist. Survey Bull. 28, Art, 1. 298 pp.
Stejneger, L., and T Barbour 1917. A check list of North
American amphibians and reptiles. Harvard Univ. Press,
Cambridge, Mass. iv -i- 125 pp.
White, R.M., and W.C. Jacobs 1968. Climatic atlas of the
United States. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, U. S. Gov. Printing
Office , Washington, D. C. 80 pp.
Winkler, M.G., A.M. Swain, and J.E. Kutzbach 1986. Middle
Holocene dry period in the northern midwestem United
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search 25(2):235-250.
Kiichler, A.W. 1964. Potential natural vegetation of the con-
terminous United States. Manual to accompany the map.
American Geographical Society, Spec. Pub. No. 36. Broad-
way at 156th St., New York. 1 16 pp.
Illinois Natural History Survey
l-Building
1816 South Oak Street
Champaign, Illinois 61820 • (217) 333-6880
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