Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution
Author
Figueroa, Alex
Author
Low, Martyn E. Y.
0000-0001-7927-7149
martyn.low@nus.edu.sg
Author
Lim, Kelvin K. P.
0000-0002-0638-9198
kelvinlim@nus.edu.sg
text
Zootaxa
2023
2023-05-18
5287
1
1
378
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1
journal article
53474
10.11646/zootaxa.5287.1.1
90d83153-c065-4771-9ac7-35dda67996b5
1175-5326
7960319
78E23714-8973-4755-BC94-0A751D7D2B37
Aipysurus eydouxii
(
Gray, 1849
)
—
Native.
Tomogaster Eydouxii
Gray 1849: 59
.
Holotype
:
BMNH 1946.1
.6.86 (formerly BM III.10.1.a), by original designation. Type locality: “Indian Ocean”.
Beaded Sea Snake
(
Figure 21D & 21E
)
Singapore
records.
Aepysurus
[sic]
anguilliformis
—
Boettger, 1892: 420
.
Aipysurus eydouxii
—
Boulenger, 1896: 304
.—
Boettger, 1898: 114
.—
Boulenger, 1912: 195
.—Hanitsch, 1913: 17.—Sworder, 1923: 71.—
Smith
, 1926: 14.—K.P.
Lim, 1990a: 9
(Kampung Bahru Beach [
PU
]).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K.
Lim, 1992: 92
, 148.—L.M.
Chou
et al.
, 1994: 105
.—R. Subaraj, 1995: 33, 35 (
PU
).—
Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 127
.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K.
Lim, 2002: 148
.—
Das, 2010: 318
.—P.K.L. Ng
et al.
, 2011: 302.—Sanders
et al.
, 2012: 8, 13, 18.—Wallach
et al.
, 2014: 22.—Thomas & F.L.K. Lim, 2014: 38–39 (Noordin Beach [
PU
]).—R.K.H. Yeo, 2014: 50 (Changi Beach).—Chan-ard
et al.
, 2015: 262.—
Leviton
et al.
, 2018: 458
.
Aipysurus eydouxi
—
Flower, 1896: 893
.—
Flower, 1899: 688
(Serangoon Road).—Ridley, 1899: 209.—
de Rooij, 1917: 219
.—Smedley, 1931b: 54.—Tweedie, 1940: 86 (Siglap).
Aepysurus
[sic]
eydouxii
—
de Haas, 1950: 589
.
Remarks.
Aipysurus eydouxii
was first recorded in
Singapore
by
Boettger (1892)
who mentioned
three specimens
were collected during Storm’s mission aboard a Ļbeck steamer. This record was substantiated a few years later in 1896 by
Flower (1899)
who found an individual on flooded land near Serangoon Road. Smedley (1931b) noted a female specimen at the Raffles Museum collected in
Singapore
in 1906, but no specific information was provided. Subsequent records include
four specimens
that were taken in 1933 and 1934 from seine nets at Siglap (Tweedie 1940), several specimens collected by Voris and Jeffries in 1981, specimen ZRC.2.2338 which was collected from Changi Beach Road in
October 1988
, and a dead specimen found at Kampung Bahru Beach, Pulau Ubin on
12 November 1990
(
Lim 1990a
). Between Tweedie (1940) and
Lim (1990a)
, 56 years elapsed since
A. eydouxii
was reported (
Table 2
). No additional records of
A. eydouxii
were documented until 2013 when one was found dead at Noordin Beach, Pulau Ubin on
9 January 2013
(Thomas & Lim 2014) and a live specimen was found crawling on sand at Changi Beach on
26 May 2013
(Yeo 2014). However,
Figure 21E
was taken at Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin in
August 2002
, and LKCNHM has specimens collected from Berting Bronok on
30 May 2002
(ZRC.2.5441), from Johor Straits off Yishun Dam on
8 September 2005
(
Fig. 21D
) (ZRC.2.6143), and from Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin on
23 August 2015
(ZRC.2.7291).
Occurrence.
Known from a few observations. Rare.
Singapore
conservation status.
Endangered.
Conservation priority.
Highest.
IUCN conservation status.
Least Concern [2010].
LKCNHM
&
NHMUK
Museum
specimens.
Singapore
(no locality)
:
BMNH 1897.2
.3.19 (no date);
Berting Bronok
:
ZRC
.2.5441 (
30-May-2002
)
;
Changi
Beach Road
:
ZRC
.2.2338 (
Oct-1988
)
;
Pulau Ubin:
ZRC
.2.3172 (
12-Nov-1990
)
;
ZRC
.2.7002 (
10-Jan-2013
)
,
ZRC
.2.7291 (
23-Aug-2015
)
;
Seletar Dam
[=
Yishun Dam
]
:
ZRC
.2.6143 (
08-Sep-2005
)
;
Siglap:
BMNH
1935.11.10.1–4 (no date),
ZRC
.2.2020–
ZRC
.2.2022 (
20-Oct-1933
)
,
ZRC
.2.2023 (
Jun-1934
)
;
Tuas:
ZRC
.2.2027 (
26-Jan-1981
)
.
Additional
Singapore
museum specimens.
Singapore
(no locality):
FMNH
,
SAMA, QM.
Singapore
localities.
Berting Bronok—Changi Beach—Changi Beach Road—Pulau Ubin—Serangoon Road*— Siglap*—Tuas—Yishun Dam.
Genus
Bungarus
Daudin, 1803
(1 species)
Bungarus
Daudin, 1803a: 434
(
type
species:
Bungarus annularis
Daudin, 1803
[=
Pseudoboa faciata
Schneider, 1801
], by subsequent monotypy by ICZN [1982: 22. Opinion 1201]; gender masculine).