Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegel, 1837)

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 271-272

Rhabdophis subminiatus (Schlegel, 1837) — Erroneous.

Red-necked Keelback

Singapore records.

Natrix subminiata —Sworder, 1924b: 21.

Tropidonotus subminiatus — Buddle, 1929: 42.

Natrix subminiata subminiata — de Haas, 1949: 81.— de Haas, 1950: 544.

Rhabdophis subminiatus —K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1988: 87.—F.L.K. Lim & Lee, 1989: 117.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 147.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—R. Subaraj, 1994: 13 (Mandai Track 15).—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 383.—Chan-ard, 1999: 36.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 148.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 265.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 169.— Das, 2010: 341.— Eriksson, 2011: 126.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 169.— Das, 2012a: 126.—Wallach et al., 2014: 637.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 227.— Fernando et al., 2015: 20.— Das, 2018: 96.—Shome et al., 2020: 549.

Rhabdophis subminiatus subminiatus — David & Vogel, 1996: 130.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2000: 105.— de Lang & Vogel, 2005: 255.— de Lang, 2017: 208.

Remarks. Sworder (1924) discussed that Smith informed him of two specimens of R. subminiatus that he obtained in Singapore, but it is unknown whether Smith personally collected or purchased the specimens. Furthermore, those specimens were not deposited in any museums, and Smith (1930) did not discuss his findings in his account of the species. Buddle (1929) reported one he purchased at SNB; however, the description he provided of “uniform blackish on dorsum and light on venter, under part of neck crimson” does not depict R. subminiatus , but instead more closely matches R. flaviceps . Later in 1994, a single individual of R. subminiatus was discovered at Mandai Track 15 on 15 January 1994 (Subaraj 1994), but may have been an escapee from Singapore Zoo (Teo & Rajathurai 1997). Teo & Rajathurai (1997) considered the individual as a rediscovery of R. subminiatus in Singapore, but acknowledged that its distribution in the Malay Peninsula only reached as far south as extreme northern Peninsular Malaysia (Wallach et al. 2014). Nonetheless, R. subminiatus was still considered native to Singapore and was even treated as critically endangered ( Davison 2008) or extinct, if not rare (Lim & Lim 1988). Four specimens are deposited at ZMH, but lack any other details. The case of a severe bite in Singapore was from a pet snake (Seow et al. 2000; Fernando et al. 2015).

Since no preserved specimens exist for any of the records mentioned above, and given its distribution, we exclude R. subminiatus from Singapore’s herpetofauna checklist. In a recent taxonomic examination of R. subminatus, David & Vogel (2021) designated populations from Indochina, Thailand, southern Myanmar, and northern Peninsular Malaysia as R. siamensis . Thus, if R. subminiatus did occur naturally in Singapore, the species will be recognised as R. siamensis . However, if the specimens observed in Singapore were introduced then their locality of origin (and identity) is unknown. Given that there are no authentic records of R. subminiatus from Singapore, David & Vogel (2021) also excluded Singapore from the distribution of either of the species. They also indicate that the record from Das (2010) pertains to R. helleri , which they restrict to northern Indochina ( David & Vogel 2021).

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. No specimens.

Additional Singapore museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): ZMH.

Subfamily Sibynophiinae Dunn, 1928 (1 species)

Genus Sibynophis Fitzinger, 1843 (1 species)