Boiga jaspidea (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854)

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 : 156-157

Boiga jaspidea (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854) — Native.

Triglyphodon jaspideum A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A. Duméril, 1854: 1093–1097 . Holotype: MNHN-RA 7627, by original designation. Type locality: “à Java ”, Indonesia .

Jasper Cat Snake ( Figure 18C )

Singapore records.

Dipsadomorphus jaspideus — Boulenger, 1912: 170.— de Rooij, 1917: 199.

Boiga jaspidea —Sworder, 1923: 66.— de Haas, 1950: 583.—Tweedie, 1950: 197.—Tweedie, 1953: 76.— Tweedie, 1961: 78.— Harman, 1961: 183.—Taylor, 1965: 878.—Tweedie, 1983: 77.—F.L.K. Lim & M.T.-M. Lee, 1989: 79, 116 ( Singapore Zoo).—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 54.—K.K.P. Lim & Subharaj, 1992: 7 (Lower Peirce Forest).—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 74, 147 (Mandai).—Wee, 1992: 74 (Lower Peirce Reservoir Park).—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.—K.K.P. Lim, 1994b: 331.— David & Vogel, 1996: 68.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 322.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 379 (Lower Peirce East Forest [LPF]; Nee Soon Range [NSSF]).— Cox et al., 1998: 77.— Das, 1998: 65.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 30.— Iskandar & Colijn, 2001: 39.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 147.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 95, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 162, 264.—T.M. Leong et al., 2009: 487.— Das, 2010: 262.—Ziegler et al., 2010: 268.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 95, 160.— Das, 2012a: 23.—Stuebing et al., 2014: 146.—Thomas, 2014: 68, 69 (Upper Seletar).—Wallach et al., 2014: 105.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 213.—I.S. Law, I.T. Law & Groenewoud, 2016: 145 (“access road to Upper Peirce Reservoir Park” [UPRR]).—Thomas et al., 2016: 1.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 181 (Pulau Tekong).— de Lang, 2017: 110.— Das, 2018: 30.— Charlton, 2020: 145.—I.S. Law et al., 2021: 1 (Upper Seletar).

Dipsas jaspidea —Tweedie, 1951: 197.

Remarks. The first report of B. jaspidea from Singapore comes from Boulenger (1912) who incorrectly cited M̧ller (1882) as recording one. Instead, M̧ller’s (1882) record lists Penang as the locality. Sworder (1923) followed Boulenger (1912) and also incorrectly cited M̧ller (1882); however, Sworder (1923) also referenced a specimen deposited at the Raffles Museum, likely collected by Ridley in 1908 (Tweedie 1950). Following this specimen, B. drapiezii went unrecorded for 53 years ( Table 2 ) until Harman (1961). The next record was from Lim & Lee (1989) who discussed one caught at Singapore Zoo that contained three bird eggshells in its stomach. Additional records of B. drapiezii include one photographed at LPF on 7 March 1992 ( Lim & Subharaj 1992), one from US (Teo & Rajathurai 1997), a dead specimen at US on 13 March 2013 (Thomas 2014), four records from PT ( Fig. 18C ) ( Lim et al. 2016), another roadkill on OUTR on 27 August 2016 (Law et al. 2016), and two separate observations from US on 8 August 2020 and 20 May 2021 ( Law et al. 2021). The LKCNHM also has two other specimens, one from SBG with no date and one from Mandai Lake Road collected on 1 December 1986.

Occurrence. Known from a few observations from CCNR and surrounding Nature Parks and forests, and PT. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2012].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Botanic Gardens : ZRC.2.4200 (no date); Mandai Lake Road : ZRC.2.2298 (01-Dec-1986) ; Mandai Track 7: ZRC.2.7020 (13-Mar-2013) ; Upper Peirce Reservoir Road : ZRC.2.7225 (27-Aug-2016) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Lower Peirce Forest—Lower Peirce Reservoir Park—Mandai (not specified)—Mandai Lake Road—Mandai Track 7—Nee Soon Swamp Forest—Pulau Tekong—Singapore Botanic Gardens*— Singapore Zoo—Upper Peirce Reservoir Road—Upper Seletar Reservoir Park.

Figures

FIGURE 18. A) Boiga cynodon, B) Boiga drapiezii, C) Boiga jaspidea, D) Boiga melanota, E) Coelognathus flavolineatus, F) Gongylosoma baliodeira, G) Gonyosoma oxycephalum, and H) Liopeltis tricolor. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A, D, G], Kelvin K.P. Lim [B, C, H], Norman T.-L. Lim [E], and Nick Baker [F].